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Peter Bart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Benton Bart (1932-07-24)July 24, 1932 (age 92)[1] New York City,New York, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Author, managing editor, film producer, journalist, screenwriter, television host |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Peter Benton Bart (born July 24, 1932)[1] is an American journalist and film producer, writing a column forDeadline Hollywood since 2015. He is best known for his lengthy tenure (1989–2009) as the editor in chief ofVariety, an entertainment-trade magazine.
Bart was also a co-host, with film producerPeter Guber, of the weekly television series,Shootout (formerlySunday Morning Shootout), carried on theAMCtelevision channel from 2003 to 2008 and subsequently seen insyndication and in 53 countries around the world.
Bart was born inNew York City, the son of Clara (née Ginsberg) and Max S. Bart and raised on Manhattan's Upper West Side.[2][1] His mother and likely his father wereAustrian Jews who emigrated in the early twentieth century, and both worked as public school teachers.[2] His father was strictly irreligious and anti-communist.[2] Bart was educated atFriends Seminary in New York City;[3]Swarthmore College, nearPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania;[2] andThe London School of Economics and Political Science in London, United Kingdom.
He served as a reporter and columnist forThe New York Times and as a reporter forThe Wall Street Journal and theChicago Sun-Times prior to entering the film business.
Starting in 1967, Bart worked as an executive atParamount Pictures, rising to vice president in charge of production; his relationship withRobert Evans was documented in Evans' autobiographyThe Kid Stays in the Picture. He played a key role in such films asRosemary's Baby (1968),True Grit (1969),Harold and Maude (1971),The Godfather (1972) andPaper Moon (1973). After eight years at Paramount he became senior vice president for production atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and president ofLorimar Productions, where he was involved in such films asBeing There (1979) andThe Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). Bart also served as a co-producer on such films asFun with Dick and Jane (1977) andIslands in the Stream (1977). He also wrote the screenplay for the 1971 filmMaking It.
He joinedVariety as editor-in-chief in 1989. In 2007, Bart appointed Tim Gray to become his successor as editor with the understanding that he would stay on as columnist, blogger and consultant.[4] In April 2009, it was announced that Bart was moving to the position of "vice president and editorial director", characterized online as"Boffo No More: Bart Up and Out at Variety".[4]
In 2001,Los Angeles Magazine reported that Bart had sold the rights to an 86-page novella calledPower Play, about "a power struggle between established casino owners and Indian tribes," to Paramount Pictures, where his friend and business associateRobert Evans was a producer. Bart explained he had "probably spent a weekend" adapting the novella from a 108-page script calledCrossroaders. The title page of the script showed it had been authored "By Leslie Cox", Bart's wife at the time, "Based on the novel by Peter Bart. September 1996." When asked if he wrote the script himself as well, Bart said he could not remember.Variety policy prohibits staffers from selling scripts, as doing so could generate a conflict of interest given that publication's focus and influence on the Hollywood movie industry, though Bart said he has no problem with staff selling the movie rights to books they have written.[2]
He served as executive producer and screenwriter of the documentary film,Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006) shown on theHBO television channel.
Through the years Bart has published eight books, including five non-fiction and three fiction.
He serves on the board of advisors for Penske Media Company.
In 1961, he married Dorothy Callman; they had two daughters, Colby Bart Centrella (born 1962) and Dilys Bart Shelton (born 1966).[2] His second wife was Leslie Cox.[5] In 2008, Bart married for a third time, to the former Phyllis Fredette. His nephew is actorRoger Bart.[6]
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Fun with Dick and Jane | |
| Islands in the Stream | ||
| 1984 | Revenge of the Nerds | Executive producer |
| 1986 | Youngblood | |
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | |
| 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Executive producer |
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Making It |
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Reborn | Creative consultant |
TBA | Francis and the Godfather |
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn | Himself |
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Planters | Extra special thanks |
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Square Off | Executive producer |
| 2009−11 | In the House with Peter Bart & Peter Guber | Executive producer |
| 2012 | Movie Talk with Peter Bart | Executive producer |
(This list may be incomplete.)
