Home · Entertainment · Sep 23 archive
Dick Guttman, Hollywood Publicist to Stars Like Streisand and Eastwood, Dies at 93
Confirmed
In Short: Dick Guttman, a longtime Hollywood publicist who represented stars such as Barbra Streisand and Clint Eastwood, has died at 93.
Dick Guttman, a renowned Hollywood publicist who represented some of the biggest names in entertainment, died Saturday at 93 in Los Altos, California, according to his company, Guttman Associates Public Relations.
Guttman, who launched his career as a unit publicist in Europe, later formed his own agency, Guttman Associates, in the early 1990s. He represented numerous films, TV shows, and individual talents from his Beverly Hills office for over 35 years.
His celebrated client list included Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, and many others. Guttman was known for his work with A-list stars and some of Hollywood’s most celebrated films, such as 'Unforgiven,' 'Dirty Harry,' and 'Bonnie and Clyde.
Guttman’s career spanned over seven decades, during which he worked at Rogers & Cowan and later partnered with Jerry Pam to form Guttman & Pam, one of the preeminent Hollywood publicity agencies.
In 1971, Guttman and Pam formed their partnership, which lasted for more than two decades. Guttman was also a screenwriter with credits including the 1963 film 'Back Door to Hell,' directed by Monte Hellman and starring Jack Nicholson.
Guttman's clients extended beyond Hollywood, including personalities such as author Sidney Sheldon and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as well as companies like Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic.
Guttman was a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his clients included numerous Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony, and Grammy winners and nominees.
Guttman was married to Gisela for 70 years. They moved north last year after the Palisades Fire tore through their community in Malibu.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Dick Guttman Memorial Fund at the Entertainment Industries Foundation, which supports members of the creative community through a variety of philanthropic efforts, including wildfire relief.
Guttman Associates continues to represent Hollywood talent with Guttman’s colleagues Susan Madore and Rona Menashe overseeing the firm.
Background
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, filmmaker, racecar driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He has been described as "one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars".
Gary Cooper was an American actor known for his strong, silent type of screen persona and understated acting style. The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Cooper at number 11 on its list of the 50 greatest screen legends.
What's confirmed
- In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Dick Guttman Memorial Fund at the Entertainment Industries Foundation, which supports members of the creative community through a variety of philanthropic efforts, including wildfire relief.
- While in Paris as the unit publicist on Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon, he met the woman who would become his wife of 70 years, Gisela, who survives him.
- Moving back to Los Angeles, Guttman returned to Rogers & Cowan for more than a decade.
- In 1971, he partnered with publicist Jerry Pam, and for more than two decades Guttman & Pam was one of the preeminent Hollywood publicity agencies.
What's still developing
- Louis, Missouri, Guttman was raised in Los Angeles after his father moved the family after World War II.
- He launched Beverly Hills-based Guttman Associates in the early 1990s, and his clients included Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, Cindy Williams, Jay Leno, Janet Jackson, Christopher Reeve, Rip Torn, Stacy Keach, Martin Landau, Maximilian Schell, Tom Skerritt, Jane Seymour, Sidney Sheldon, Kathy Ireland, Marilu Henner, Steve Guttenberg, David Janssen, Jacqueline Bisset, James Woods, Robert Urich, Bo Derek, Ernest Borgnine, Donny Osmond, William Shatner and Mickey Rooney.
- He often said he was simply in the right place at the right time, when studios stopped contracting stars and publicists became vital to their careers.
- Starting in the late 1950s, Guttman worked at Rogers & Cowan for more than a decade, where he represented the likes of Paul Newman, Tony Curtis, Milton Berle, Greer Garson, Simone Signoret, Carroll Baker, Candice Bergen, Peter Ustinov, Tony Randall, Dick Powell, James Mason and Rex Harrison.
- He is survived by Gisela, his wife of 70 years, his daughters Danielle Guttman Klein and Monika Guttman Robertson, granddaughters Alyssa Brucculeri and Claire Robertson; great-granddaughter Aria Brucculeri and sister Joan Ostrow.