Ross Hunter(1920-1996)
- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Noted Hollywood producer Ross Hunter served in Army intelligence during
World War II. After the war he signed with Columbia Pictures and appeared in a
number of forgettable B-movies. He then became a producer and produced
more than 60 films. Most of his films tended to be bright
confections, many for Universal Pictures, with stars such as Debbie Reynolds and Julie Andrews. He also produced his share of "three-hankie weepers", including such fare as Imitation of Life (1959), a remake of an earlier film (Imitation of Life (1934)) that resurrected the career of
Lana Turner. His production principle was that audiences should leave the
theater either laughing or crying. His biggest success was Airport (1970), for which he received his only Oscar nomination. It was such a
hit that in 1973 he remarked, "For three years, Universal's been
living on 'Airport'." He ended his long career at Universal, joining
Columbia in 1971 and then Paramount in 1974, where he produced made-for-TV
movies.
