Eric Pleskow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Pleskow
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Pleskow in 1978
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| Born |
Erich Pleskoff
April 24, 1924 |
| Died | October 1, 2019 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Film producer, executive |
| Known for | President of United Artists and Orion Pictures |
Eric Pleskow (born Erich Pleskoff; April 24, 1924 – October 1, 2019) was a very important person in the movie world. He was born in Austria and later became an American film producer and a top boss in movie companies. He led big studios like United Artists and Orion Pictures. He also helped run the Vienna International Film Festival for many years.
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Growing Up in Vienna
Eric Pleskow was born Erich Pleskoff in Vienna, Austria. His family were merchants.
In 1938, when Eric was 14, his family had to leave Austria. Their home was taken from them. They moved to the United States to start a new life.
Serving His Country
In 1943, Eric joined the United States Army during World War II. He was part of a special group called the Ritchie Boys. These soldiers were trained in intelligence and helped the army gather important information.
After the war, Pleskow went back to Austria. He helped with efforts to rebuild the country and understand what had happened during the war.
A Career in Movies
Eric Pleskow had studied a little bit of film editing before joining the army. This helped him get a job with the United States Department of War in 1945. His first big task was to help rebuild the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, Germany.
Joining United Artists
In 1951, Eric started working for United Artists, a famous movie company. He worked in their international department in New York City. He traveled a lot for his job, living in South Africa and Germany, and then managing their business in Paris.
By 1962, Pleskow was back in New York City. He became the vice president for international distribution. This meant he was in charge of getting movies shown all over the world.
On January 1, 1973, he became the chief operating officer of United Artists. Soon after, he became the president and CEO. Under his leadership, United Artists won the Academy Award for Best Picture three years in a row! These winning movies were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Rocky (1976), and Annie Hall (1977).
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Starting Orion Pictures
In 1978, Eric Pleskow and many other leaders from United Artists decided to start their own movie company. They called it Orion Pictures. They did this because the main company that owned United Artists, Transamerica Corporation, was getting too involved in how the movies were made.
Eric Pleskow was very important in getting $100 million to start Orion. He also arranged for their movies to be shown by Warner Bros.. He became the president and CEO of Orion Pictures and stayed in that role until 1991.
Under his leadership at Orion, many more movies won the Academy Award for Best Picture. These included Amadeus (1984), Platoon (1986), Dances with Wolves (1990), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He also approved movies like Little Man Tate (1990) and The Addams Family.
Later Years
In 1998, Eric Pleskow became the president of the Vienna International Film Festival. This is a big movie event in his home city. In 2007, he was given honorary citizenship of Vienna, which is a special award.
During his long career, Eric Pleskow was involved with 14 movies that won the Best Picture Oscar.
His Final Years
Eric Pleskow passed away on October 1, 2019, in Westport, Connecticut. He was 95 years old.
