It seems no matter where we’ve been-Sacramento, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles-Lew Wasserman was always there for us.” “He gave Ronnie some of the best advice in the business.

“Lew was Ronnie’s first agent in Hollywood and they became fast friends,” former First Lady Nancy Reagan said in a statement Monday about their friendship of more than 60 years. Indeed, at no time was his clout seemingly greater than it was during the Republican-dominated 1980s, when a former B-actor Wasserman once represented as an agent, Ronald Reagan, occupied the White House. He just came across as someone who understood what life was all about and was pulling for people to have good lives,” Clinton told The Times on Monday.Īlthough a passionate liberal Democrat, Wasserman’s voice was heard by both parties. “He was one of the smartest men I ever met, and in more than intellectual ways. Los Angeles Dodgers Chairman Robert Daly, former head of rival Warner Bros., recalled that when President Clinton visited Daly’s home for a fund-raiser, his first words were, “Is Lew here?” Clinton then sought out Wasserman before talking to anyone else, Daly recalled. He was one of the first Hollywood executives to get to know Bill Clinton when the future president was a relatively unknown Arkansas governor. He became the most important fund-raiser in Hollywood in an era when huge sums were needed to buy television ads and conduct national campaigns. From his office on the 15th floor of MCA’s Black Tower that now carries his name in Universal City, Wasserman, with a handful of phone calls, could rally Hollywood to raise millions for candidates.Įven the most powerful of moguls rarely turned down a personal appeal from Wasserman. He became Hollywood’s most skillful executive at raising campaign funds and at forging ties to top politicians in Washington, Sacramento and at Los Angeles City Hall. Smarting from a 1962 deal with the federal government forcing him to divest his talent agency business from MCA’s movie operations, Wasserman vowed never to let something like that happen again and immersed himself in the workings of government.Ī confidant of presidents and world leaders, Wasserman correctly sensed that money and access to stars spoke volumes with politicians. Wasserman’s imprint went well beyond the entertainment business and into politics. The Universal Studios theme park Wasserman built attracted millions of visitors to Southern California each year from around the world, luring them with the glamour of touring a studio back lot where films were made.

When other Hollywood figures viewed television in its infancy as a threat to the motion picture studios, Wasserman saw its promise and embraced it, operating a television division that over the years produced such hit shows as “Kojak,” “Miami Vice” and “Coach.” MCA’s music conglomerate boasted top acts across the spectrum, including Nirvana, Reba McEntire and Elton John. He put together a company that boasted a movie studio that gave Spielberg his break with “Jaws” and also released such Spielberg hits as “Jurassic Park,” “E.T.-the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Schindler’s List.” Other films released during Wasserman’s tenure included the Oscar-winning “Out of Africa,” “American Graffiti,” and comedies such as the raunchy “Animal House.” As an agent, he forged a landmark deal for actor James Stewart giving the star a piece of the profits and wide-ranging creative control, power that top stars today take for granted. I feel that all of us have lost our benevolent godfather,” director Steven Spielberg said.Īs head of the former MCA Inc., Wasserman built the prototype of today’s entertainment conglomerates, meshing entertainment units together while leveraging successes in one area, such as movies, into profitable ventures in other businesses, such as theme parks and television. “For decades he was the chief justice of the film industry-fair, tough-minded, and innovative.

Lew later studio