From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Paul Heller
Paul Heller
Paul Heller His production company, Paul Heller Productions
produced First Monday in October, starring Walter Matthau
Born Paul M. Heller and Jill Clayburgh, and more recently the critically ac-
United States
claimed British film, Withnail & I, written and directed by
Occupation Producer, Director Bruce Robinson. He was the ground breaker in the ca-
Years active 1953–present
ble TV feature market, producing the first made-for-ca-
ble feature film, Falcon’s Gold, and then, Showtime’s, Pyg-
Paul Heller (also known as Paul M. Heller is an American
Heller) malion, starring Peter O’Toole and Margot Kidder.
film producer residing in Southern California. His best Heller now only makes pictures that delight him from
movies known include Enter the Dragon, Dirty Harry, My the first reading of the script. Following The Annihilation
Left Foot, The Annihilation of Fish, Skin Games, Hot Potato, The of Fish, is another film with writer-director Bruce Robin-
Promise, The Barony, Black Belt Jones, and David and Lisa. son, entitled The Block .
Television Production
Biography Heller first has produced a television movie Wait Until
Dark, which is distributed by Warner Bros. and HBO in
Early life 1982. In the same year, he has produced CBS Television
and Showtime’s Falcon’s Gold. In 1998, he was involved in
Film Production ABC’s David and Lisa, produced with Oprah’s Harpo Pro-
His debut as a film producer was David and Lisa, which re- ductions.
ceived two Oscar nominations and innumerable awards. During this time, Heller renewed his interest in
He was the executive producer of 1990’s Oscar winner, teaching promising young students of film. Heller was
My Left Foot, which earned five Academy Award nomina- approached by the American Film Institute to develop a
tions and Oscars for Best Actor and Best Supporting Ac- producing program for their new school in Los Angeles,
tress. the American Film Institute Center for Advanced Studies.
Heller’s commitment to high quality films has been He had previously taught Film and Television Design at
the hallmark of his career. His film, The Eavesdropper won both New York University and Columbia University, and
acclaim as Best Film at Mar del Plata and honors at both founded the Community Film Workshop Council with the
the New York and London Film Festivals. It was also nom- American Film Institute.
inated for Best Foreign Film at the French Awards, as was This was followed, over the years, by lectures at con-
his film Secret Ceremony, starring Elizabeth Taylor and ferences and by teaching two Master Programs in Produc-
Mia Farrow. ing at The University of California, Los Angeles. He cur-
Although Heller worked as a successful Warner Bros. rently heads the Education and Outreach Committee of
executive, overseeing such films as Skin Game, starring the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Los An-
James Garner, and Dirty Harry, starring Clint Eastwood, he geles.
prefers the life of the independent producer. In that role
he is able to combine the goal of making quality films Philanthropic Activities
with his love of hands-on involvement in the process of In 1989, Heller founded ASK Theatre, a nonprofit group
film-making. A process that has so far created and devel- dedicated to new plays and playwrights, which works to-
oped over 30 feature films and numerous projects in al- gether with the Mark Taper Theatre in Los Angeles, The
lied fields. Royal Court Theatre in London and Lincoln Center in
In 1973, Heller founded Sequoia Pictures, Inc., a pro- New York. He is also a member of the American Acad-
duction house affiliated with Warner Bros.. The compa- emy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on
ny’s first production was Enter the Dragon, the film that the Board of Directors of the British Academy of Film and
set off the explosion of interest in the martial arts genre Television Arts as well as on the board of the Hearst Cas-
and which introduced Bruce Lee to the international film tle Preservation Foundation. He is a member of the Unit-
market place. Eleven more films followed with an un- ed Scenic Artists, the Directors Guild and the Screen Ac-
precedented financial success rate. tors Guild.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Paul Heller
Multimedia and theatrical • Truck Turner (1974) (with MGM)
• Black Belt Jones (1974) (with Warner Bros. Pictures)
Heller has been a pioneer in the field of multimedia and
• Enter the Dragon (1973) (with Warner Bros. Pictures)
theatrical presentations. His productions include The
• Stop (1970) (with Warner Bros. Pictures)
New York Experience, which played for sixteen highly
• Secret Ceremony (1968) (with Universal Pictures)
successful years at Rockefeller Center, and The South
• The Best of Laurel and Hardy (1967)
Street Venture, a popular attraction for seven years at
• The Eavesdropper (1966) (with Columbia Pictures)
the Dockland of New York City. He has recently complet-
• Once Upon a Tractor (1965)
ed the extensive audiovisual and multimedia exhibits for
• David and Lisa (1962) (with Continental Distributing)
the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and expects to
Upcoming:
begin work on the Hong Kong Museum of History in the
• Awaken the Dragon (2009)
near future.
• Ticker (2009)
Filmography (producer) Television
TV movie
Films • David and Lisa (1998) TV Movie (co-exec. producer)
Released: • Falcon’s Gold (1982) TV Movie (Exec. Producer)
• Blood and Steel: Making ’Enter the Dragon (2003) (with • Wait Until Dark (1982) TV Movie (Producer)
Warner Bros. Pictures)
• The Annihilation of Fish (1999) (with Regent
Entertainment)
External links
• Fatal Inheritance (1993) • Paul Heller Productions
• My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) (with • Paul M. Heller at the Internet Movie Database
20th Century Fox/Miramax) • Paul Heller at Hollywood.com
• Withnail & I (1987) (with Paramont and Anchor Bay Persondata
Entertainment) Name Heller, Paul
• First Monday in October (1981) (with Paramount
Alternative names
Pictures)
• The Promise (1979) (with Universal Pictures) Short description American film producer
• The Pack (1977) (with Warner Bros. Pictures) Date of birth
• Hot Potato (1976) (with Warner Bros. Pictures)
Place of birth United States
• Crazy Animals (1976) (with 20th Century Fox)
• Dirty Knight’s Work (1976) Date of death
• The Barony (1975) (with Warner Bros. Pictures) Place of death
• he Wilby Conspiracy (1975) (with United Artist)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Heller&oldid=444866452"
Categories:
• American film directors
• American film producers
• American screenwriters
• American entertainment industry businesspeople
• Living people
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