Eric Pleskow

Eric Pleskow (born Erich Pleskoff; April 24, 1924 – October 1, 2019) was an Austrian-born American film producer and executive. From 1973 through 1978, Pleskow was president of United Artists. Following a protest from Transamerica Corporation, Pleskow co-founded and later ran Orion Pictures in 1978 through 1991. In his later career, he served as president of the Vienna International Film Festival from 1998 until his death.

Early life 
Born Erich Pleskoff in Vienna, he was the son of Jewish merchants. After the Anschluss and the following Aryanization of their apartment, the family emigrated to the United States in 1938.

In 1943, he was conscripted into the United States Army. After World War II, Pleskow returned to Austria and guided five interrogations during denazifications.

Career

Due to his brief education in film editing, which he finished before joining the army, he became film officer for the United States War Department in 1945. He was assigned to rebuild the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, Germany.

From 1951, he was working for United Artists and was responsible for the arranging movie rentals in Europe and South Africa until settling in Paris. In 1962, Pleskow traveled back to New York City as vice president of international distribution for United Artists. Eleven years later, he became president and CEO of United Artists. Under his presidency at United Artists, the company won the Academy Award for Best Picture three years in a row: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Rocky (1976) and Annie Hall (1977).

In 1978, Pleskow along with many executives from United Artists, formed Orion Pictures as a protest due to the constant interference from parent company Transamerica Corporation in the running of United Artists. He was a key figure in establishing $100 million in financing for Orion, including distribution through Warner Bros.. He was named president and CEO, a post he held until 1991. Their greatest successes under his management were Amadeus (1984), Dances with Wolves (1990) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

In 1998, Pleskow became president of the Vienna International Film Festival. In February 2007, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Vienna.

During his career, Pleskow was involved in the production of fourteen best-picture Oscar winners.

Death
Pleskow died on October 1, 2019, in Westport, Connecticut, at the age of 95.

Bibliography
 Andrea Ernst: Eric Pleskow. Ein Leben für den Film. Picus Verlag, Wien 2008, .

References

External links

 
 Interview with Eric Pleskow about Film, Politics and the EU

Category:1924 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:Film producers from California
Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople
Category:Orion Pictures Corporation
Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Category:Austrian emigrants to the United States
Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
Category:Austrian Jews
Category:People from Vienna
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States