David M. Weisbart (January 21, 1915 – July 21, 1967) was an Americanfilm editor and producer.

David Weisbert
Left to right:Patty Duke,Mark Robson (director),Lee Grant, David Weisbart (producer),Jacqueline Susann (author-actress) andBarbara Parkins on the set ofValley of the Dolls (1967).
Born	(1915-01-21)January 21, 1915 Los Angeles
Died	July 21, 1967(1967-07-21) (aged 52) Los Angeles
Occupation(s)	Film editor and Producer

Born in Los Angeles, Weisbart began working as a film editor forWarner Bros. in 1942. Over the next decade, he was involved in the editing of some twenty films, includingThe Constant Nymph (1943),Mildred Pierce (1945),Night and Day (1946),Dark Passage (1947),The Fountainhead (1949),The Glass Menagerie (1950), andA Streetcar Named Desire (1951).^[1] He was nominated for theAcademy Award for editingJohnny Belinda (1948).^[2]

In 1952, Weisbart became a producer, the youngest under contract to Warner Bros. That same year he produced his first film,Mara Maru, starringErrol Flynn andRuth Roman. In 1955 he produced the film for which he is probably best remembered: theJames Dean classic,Rebel Without a Cause.

Weisbart left Warner Bros. for20th Century Fox, where he producedLove Me Tender (1956), the firstElvis Presley film. Weisbart would produce three more Presley movies, as well asApril Love (1957) for anotherteen idol,Pat Boone.

WithSamuel A. Peeples, Weisbart created the television seriesCuster, also known asThe Legend of Custer, which ran on ABC for seventeen episodes in 1967.

On July 21, 1967, Weisbart died of what was apparently heart failure; he collapsed while playing golf with film directorMark Robson on a Los Angeles golf course. He was 52, and was survived by his wife and two daughters.^[3]

At the time of his death, Weisbart was producing the high-profileValley of the Dolls, based on thenovel byJacqueline Susann. The film was released in December 1967. Although it received scathing reviews, it was 20th Century Fox's biggest box office hit of the year.^[4]

Weisbart graduated in 1932 from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and was President of his graduating class.