Jerry Weintraub

Jerry Weintraub (born September 26, 1937) is an American film producer and former chairman and CEO of United Artists. He now lives in Palm Desert, California. --- Weintraub was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and raised in The Bronx, the son of Rose and Sam Weintraub. His father was a gem dealer. After several years at MCA, he left and formed his own personal management company. In the 1960s, he also co-founded the vocal group The Doodletown Pipers. Among the acts that Weintraub managed at this time were Joey Bishop, The Four Seasons, and singer Jane Morgan. Before turning to films, Weintraub's largest entertainment success was as the personal manager of singer and actor John Denver whom he signed in 1970. Denver and Weintraub's professional relationship ended acrimoniously. Denver would later write in his autobiography ".. I'd bend my principles to support something he wanted of me. And of course every time you bend your principles - whether because you don't want to worry about it, or because you're afraid to stand up for fear of what you might lose - you sell your soul to the devil". Weintraub also managed or promoted concerts for such musical acts as Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Cuba Gooding, Sr. and the Main Ingredient, The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond,The Moody Blues and Zager & Evans. Weintraub formed Weintraub Entertainment Group (WEG) in February 1987 with $461 million in financing from Columbia Pictures, Cineplex Odeon and others in the form of securities, bank loans and advances. WEG also arranged a $145-million, 7-year credit line with Bank of America. WEG also signed a 20 year distribution deal with Columbia and plans to release 7 or movie per year. In 1990, WEG was in bankruptcy and Weintraub moved to a production deal with Warner Bros. Film Asset Holding Co., a company formed by WEG's two primary bank creditors, sued Weintraub over his structuring of a sale of the "Peter Pan" story to Sony Pictures Entertainment in the fall of 1990. Weintraub and Film Assets settled in January 1992. In April 2010, Jerry, with Rich Cohen, published a memoir, When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man. A television documentary film about Jerry Weintraub called His Way directed by Douglas McGrathwas broadcast on HBO in 2011.