Freddie Fields (July 12, 1923 – December 11, 2007),[1] born Fred Feldman, was an American theatrical agent and film producer.

Freddie Fields
Born
Fred Feldman

(1923-07-12)July 12, 1923
Ferndale, New York, United States
DiedDecember 11, 2007(2007-12-11) (aged 84)
Occupation(s)Producer, agent
Spouses
(m. 1946; div. 1955)
(m. 1957; div. 1975)
Cherie Latimer
(m. 1976; div. 1977)
(m. 1981)
Children4, including Kathy Fields

Biography

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Born to a Jewish family,[2] Fields was the brother of band leader Shep Fields.

Field's obituary in Variety magazine described his early career:

After a stint in the Coast Guard, he joined the Abbe Greshler agency in 1943; there he worked with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He was wooed away by MCA in 1946, bringing Lewis and Martin with him, and rose through the ranks to become head of its TV department. He packaged such vaudevillian and radio talents as Phil Silvers, George Burns and Gracie Allen and Jackie Gleason for television.[3]

In 1960, Fields and fellow former MCA agent David Begelman founded the international talent agency Creative Management Associates (CMA).[1][3] At CMA, Fields and Begelman pioneered the movie "package", where the talent agency put their stars, directors and writers together on a single project.[4]

CMA developed numerous agents, including Sue Mengers, Mike Medavoy, Sam Cohn, and Jeff Berg (who became president in 1979).[3] CMA was instrumental in the development of such stars as Judy Garland, Woody Allen, Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Redford, Peter Sellers, Steve McQueen and later Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Burt Bacharach, Neil Young, and Jack Carter, and into the 1980s promoted the likes of Richard Gere and Mel Gibson. While at CMA, he was involved with numerous blockbuster films, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Graffiti, and Star Wars. Fields played a key role in the merger of CMA with the International Famous Agency to form International Creative Management (ICM).[1]

Starting in 1969, Fields was a partner in the First Artists Company with Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Sidney Poitier, and Barbra Streisand.[1] While First Artists only lasted for about ten years, it was unique in that it owned the films it produced, such as The Getaway (1972).[3]

Fields later served as president of MGM and United Artists.[1]

Personal life

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Fields was married four times. He was survived by his wife, former Miss Universe 1964, Corinna Tsopei, and by two adopted children by his former wife, actress Polly Bergen.[5][6] He also was married to actress Edith Fellows, who died June 26, 2011. Kathy Fields is their child.[7]

Filmography

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He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

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Year Film Credit Notes
1976 Lipstick
1977 Handle with Care
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1980 American Gigolo Executive producer
Wholly Moses!
1981 Escape to Victory
1982 The Year of Living Dangerously Executive producer
Uncredited
1985 Fever Pitch
1986 Poltergeist II: The Other Side Executive producer
American Anthem Executive producer
Crimes of the Heart
1989 Millennium Executive producer
Glory Final film as a producer
Miscellaneous crew
Year Film Role
1982 The Year of Living Dangerously Presenter

Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
1962 The Judy Garland Show Executive producer Television special
1989 Glory Executive producer Television special
1996 The Montel Williams Show Executive producer

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Rogers, John (December 12, 2007). "Legendary producer/agent Freddie Fields dies". USA Today.
  2. ^ Verini, Bob (September 27, 2007). "Secret lunch honors Ladd". Variety.
  3. ^ a b c d Natale, Richard (December 12, 2007). "Agent Freddie Fields dies at 84. Industry vet paved the way for super-agents". Variety.
  4. ^ Eller, Claudia; Dutka, Eliane (August 9, 1995). "Begelman, Ex-Columbia Chief, an Apparent Suicide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  5. ^ Fox, Margalit (Dec 13, 2007). "Freddie Fields, Hollywood Talent Agent, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Bergan, Ronald (22 Sep 2014). "Polly Bergen obituary: Award-winning actor who starred in Cape Fear, she was also a dynamic entrepreneur". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Fox, Margalit (July 2, 2011). "Edith Fellows, a 1930s Child Star Trailed by Dickensian Woes, Dies at 88". The New York Times.
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