Vice chairman or vice president

George R. Robertson , who played Chief Hurst (later Commissioner) in the first six Police Academy films during a half-century screen career, has died. He was 89. His family said he died January 29 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto but did not give other details. Robertson had been working in TV and films for nearly 15 years when he was cast as the strict but fair Chief Henry Hurst in Police Academy , the 1984 cop farce starring Steve Guttenberg. The film was a left-field hit and went on to spawn a franchise that spanned seven films during the next decade, including one a year through 1989. He appeared in the first six but not the Moscow-set final one in 1994. The movies followed the antics of a group of misfit police recruits who are assembled after their city’s newly elected female mayor announced that the department must take on anyone who applies. Co-stars included Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Debralee Scott and Michael Winslow. Born on April 20, … [Read more...] about George R. Robertson Dies: ‘Police Academy’s Chief Hurst Was 89

Oscar-nominated All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger has launched a production outfit and struck a first-look deal with Fremantle. Berger has forged Nine Hours with partner Luke Rivett ( The Tomorrow Man) and producer Jeanne Tremsal ( So Long Daddy, See You in Hell) and the indie will make global TV and film projects. Fremantle will house Nine Hours’ TV projects for the next two years as well as being given second-look access to Berger’s new film pipeline. Berger is fresh off the back of nine Oscar nominations for critically-acclaimed Netflix adaptation All Quiet on the Western Front , which has also secured a record 14 BAFTA noms. Other high-profile credits include Patrick Melrose, Your Honor, The Terror and Deutschland 83 , the latter of which he made with Fremantle. “Great drama comes from filmmakers who have an undeniable urge to tell their story,” said Berger. “We intend to find and nourish these filmmakers in their endeavors to … [Read more...] about ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’s Edward Berger Launches Production Outfit & Partners With Fremantle

Lindsay Dougherty , the principal officer of Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 – and the top movie Teamster in the country – is urging her members to start saving money in case of a strike later this year by writers, actors or directors. The earliest a strike could happen, if it comes to that, is May 1, when the WGA ’s current film and TV contract expires. The SAG-AFTRA and DGA contracts both expire June 30. “As many of you are aware, we will see SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, and the WGA bargaining their master agreements this year,” she told her members in the current issue of News Reel , the local’s quarterly magazine. “I want to urge our members to be diligent and prepared by setting money aside in case any of these groups have delayed or contentious negotiations. “We have seen the effects on our members during the writers’ strike of 2007-2008, and we know that the changing landscape to our industry, and the issues industry workers face on the job, could threaten a work … [Read more...] about Lindsay Dougherty, Head of Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399, Urges Members To Save Up In Case Of A Strike By WGA, SAG-AFTRA or DGA

There was a moment last November when Channel 4 ’s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief. Sat at the top table of Channel 4’s 40th birthday party, Chief Executive Alex Mahon was flanked by her friend Elisabeth Murdoch and doyens of UK broadcasting, including BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Carolyn McCall, ITV’s Chief Executive. They were raising a glass to a British success story in a rare public display of unity. On the same table was Thérèse Coffey, a senior government minister who had survived three prime ministers in the space of little more than three months. Her presence at the V&A Museum event bemused others, who believed the government only had hostile intentions for Channel 4 after sanctioning a sale of the broadcaster against its wishes. Things soon got weirder. Coffey turned to Mahon and asked if she could raise a glass to Channel 4. She then proceeded to surprise the room full of TV luminaries by serenading her hosts with a rendition of happy … [Read more...] about Channel 4: Inside The Doomed Sale Of A Crown Jewel Of British Television