David V. Picker
Born	David Victor Picker (1931-05-14)May 14, 1931 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 20, 2019(2019-04-20) (aged 87) New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Movie executive and producer
Known for	Served as President and CEO ofUnited Artists,Paramount,Lorimar, andColumbia Pictures
Family	Arnold Picker (uncle) Tobias Picker (nephew)

David Victor Picker (May 14, 1931 – April 20, 2019) was an American motion picture executive and producer, working in the film industry for more than forty years. He served as president and chief executive officer forUnited Artists,Paramount,Lorimar, andColumbia Pictures before becoming an independent producer. Picker was a member of the Writers Guild of America East, a member theProducers Guild of America, and he was Chairman Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America East.^[1] Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry,Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.^[2]

Picker was born to aJewish family^[3][4][5] on May 14, 1931, inNew York City. He was the son of Sylvia (Moses) and Eugene Picker, a one-time president ofLoews Theatres^[6][7][8] and president of theNational Association of Theatre Owners, executive ofTrans-Lux and vice-president ofUnited Artists.^[9] He attendedDartmouth College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953.^[1][10]

Picker began his movie career atUnited Artists in 1956, working in advertising and publicity. By 1961 he was an assistant toArthur Krim, the president.^[11][12][9] Picker helped bringTom Jones to United Artists in 1963. The film received four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director forTony Richardson.^[13] In 1964, Picker accepted the award on behalf of Tony Richardson, who was not in attendance.^[14] By the late 1960s, Picker was managing United Artists Records.^[11][12]

Picker becamechief operating officer andpresident of United Artists Corporation in 1969.^[11] Having earlier brought theBeatles'A Hard Day's Night andHelp! to the company, Picker was also responsible for a deal with producersHarry Saltzman andAlbert Broccoli for theJames Bond series which launched one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. Other notable releases during his time as president of United Artists includedMidnight Cowboy andLast Tango in Paris.^[1][11][15]Picker also established the company's lasting relationship with writer and directorWoody Allen, in addition to European filmmakersFederico Fellini,Ingmar Bergman,François Truffaut,Louis Malle, andSergio Leone.^[1] He becameCEO and president of UA on January 1, 1973.^[9]

In 1973, Picker left United Artists to form his own production company, Two Roads Productions,^[6][11] producingJuggernaut andLenny in 1974 andSmile andRoyal Flash in 1975.Lenny was a critical success, nominated for six Academy Awards.^[11][16] However, his next picture,Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood, became a notorious flop.^[17]

In 1976, Picker became President of Motion Pictures atParamount, but served for only a few years,^[11] during which he helped develop or greenlightSaturday Night Fever,Grease, and the 1980 Academy Award winner,Ordinary People.^[6][12]Upon leaving Paramount in 1979, Picker partnered with comedianSteve Martin to produce that year'sThe Jerk,Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, andThe Man with Two Brains in 1983.^[11][12]In the mid-1980s, Picker took over as President of Feature Films at Lorimar Productions, developing and supervising the filmsS.O.B.,Being There, andEscape to Victory.^[6][12] In 1984, he worked withHarry Belafonte to produceBeat Street^[18] Hired in 1985 byColumbia Pictures to serve as president of production, Picker greenlitHope and Glory,School Daze,Vice Versa,Punchline, andTrue Believer.^[6][19][20] In 1987, Picker left Columbia after Chairman & CEODavid Puttnam exited the company andDawn Steel joined it. He revived Two Roads Productions with a non-exclusive production agreement with Columbia.^[21] His next film, a remake ofStella Dallas calledStella, starredBette Midler.^[11][12][22]

Picker producedThe Saint of Fort Washington forWarner Bros. in 1993, andThe Crucible forTwentieth Century Fox in 1996.^[6] In 1997, Picker became president ofHallmark Entertainment Productions Worldwide to oversee the company's objective of expanding into feature films.^[11][12][15] In that capacity, he became Executive Producer on a host of TV movies and miniseries, includingJourney to the Center of the Earth,David Copperfield, andHans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale.^[23]

From 2004 to 2008, Picker served as chairman of The Producers Guild of America for the East. Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry,Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.^[2]

Picker was married three times. In 1954, he married Caryl Schlossman, with whom he had two daughters, Caryn and Pam. In 1975, he married casting director Nessa Hyams; he produced and she directed the feature filmLeader of the Band in 1987.^[24] In 1995 Picker married photographer Sandra Jetton, who survived him. They lived inNew York City.^[25]

Picker's sister isJean Picker Firstenberg, past CEO and Director of theAmerican Film Institute. His uncle,Arnold Picker, was also an executive vice-president at United Artists.^[9]

On April 20, 2019, Picker died in New York City from colon cancer at the age of 87.^[26] He was survived by his wife, Sandra, his two daughters and his sister.^[27]

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Miscellaneous crew

Thanks

Miscellaneous crew

• David V. Picker atIMDb

• 1931 births
• 2019 deaths
• Businesspeople from New York City
• American film studio executives
• Paramount Pictures executives
• 20th-century American Jews
• American chief operating officers
• American memoirists
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• 21st-century American Jews
• Presidents of Columbia Pictures

• Articles with short description
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