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Sam Spiegel
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{{short description|American film producer (1901–1985)}} {{other people}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Sam Spiegel | image = Sam-Spiegel-1963.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Spiegel in 1963 | birth_name = Samuel P. Spiegel | birth_date = November 11, 1901 | birth_place = [[Jarosław]], [[Austrian Poland]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|12|31|1901|11|11}} | death_place = [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]]<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news |last1=Krebs |first1=Albin |title=Sam Spiegel, Producer, Is Dead at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/01/obituaries/sam-spiegel-producer-is-dead-at-84.html |access-date=April 22, 2019 |work=New York Times |date=January 1, 1986|page=48}}</ref> | education = | alma_mater = [[University of Vienna]] | occupation = Film producer | years_active = 1927–1983 | employer = | organization = | agent = | known_for = | notable_works = ''[[On the Waterfront]], [[The Bridge on the River Kwai]], [[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' | spouse = Rachel Agranovich (m. 1920; div. 1926)<br />Lynn Baggett (m. 1948; div. 1953)<br />Betty Benson Spiegel (m. 1958–1985, his death) | children = 2<ref name=nytobit /> | awards = [[Irving Thalberg Memorial Award]] }} '''Samuel P. Spiegel''' (November 11, 1901{{spnd}}December 31, 1985) was an American independent [[film producer]]. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th century, Spiegel produced films that won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] three times, a Hollywood first for a sole independent producer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/Pic-Facts.pdf |title=Best picture facts most nominations and awards |access-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221143817/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/Pic-Facts.pdf |archive-date=February 21, 2014}}</ref> == Early life == Spiegel was born to a German-speaking Jewish family<ref>{{cite book |last=Fraser-Cavassoni |first=Natasha |title=Sam Spiegel |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2003 |pages=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TtYex8ky_MEC&q=%22only%20german%20was%20spoken:%22 |isbn=978-0-253-20493-6}}</ref> in [[Jarosław]], [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]], [[Austria-Hungary]] (later modern [[Poland]]). His parents were Regina and Simon Spiegel, a tobacco wholesaler.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Kenneth |title=The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: 1981–1985 |date=1998 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |isbn=978-0-684-80492-7 |page=752 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3URAQAAMAAJ&q=Regina+Simon+Spiegel}}</ref> He received his education at the [[University of Vienna]]. He had an older brother, [[Shalom Spiegel]] (1899-c. 1984), who was a professor of medieval Hebrew poetry. == Career == Spiegel worked briefly in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1927 following a stint serving with [[Hashomer Hatzair]] in [[Mandatory Palestine]]. He then went to [[Berlin]] to produce [[German language|German]] and [[French language|French]] adaptations of [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] films. In 1933 he fled [[Germany]] following the election of the [[Nazi]] party and increased [[antisemitism]]. As an independent producer, Spiegel helped produce a number of European films. In 1938, he emigrated to [[Mexico]] and subsequently the United States. Between 1935 and 1954, Spiegel billed himself as S. P. Eagle; after that he used his real name. His nickname was the "velvet octopus" after his propensity to entwine himself with women in the back of taxis and manage Hollywood with a velvet touch according to [[Billy Wilder]]. He loved London and admired the British, as is reflected in his films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' (1957) and ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), both of which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. Starting with the 1951 film ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'', he produced films through his British-based production company [[Horizon Pictures]]. In a review in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' of Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni's biography of Spiegel, Wendy Smith notes: "It's all here: the sleazy financial maneuvers and creepy taste for underage girls that make Spiegel a decidedly flawed protagonist, as well as the wit, sophistication, and Old World charm that make him a titanic figure the likes of which the movie industry will not see again."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Wendy|title=Review: 'Sam Spiegel'|url=https://variety.com/2003/more/reviews/sam-spiegel-2-1200542273/|access-date=October 12, 2016|work=Variety|date=April 13, 2003}}</ref> == Awards == Spiegel won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] for [[Elia Kazan]]'s ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' as well as for ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957) and ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962), both directed by Briton [[David Lean]]. In 1963, he was awarded the [[Irving Thalberg Memorial Award]] at that year's [[Academy Awards]] for his many contributions to cinema. == Sexual misconduct allegations == American actress [[Theresa Russell]] alleged that she was sexually propositioned by Spiegel during her first casting session for his 1976 film ''[[The Last Tycoon (1976 film)|The Last Tycoon]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1898-a-conversation-with-theresa-russell | title=A Conversation with Theresa Russell | first=Sam | last=Wasson | publisher=The Criterion Collection | date=June 22, 2011 | access-date=September 21, 2016}}</ref> In another interview, Russell recalled: "I was 16 years old and still living at home, and he took me to the Bistro and tried to stick his tongue down my throat."<ref name="ebert">{{cite web | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/interview-with-theresa-russell | title=Interview with Theresa Russell | website=RogerEbert.com | first=Roger | last=Ebert | date=September 21, 1988 | access-date=July 6, 2016}}</ref> After she refused to sign a contract with Spiegel, Russell "was completely left out of the publicity for ''The Last Tycoon'', and Spiegel threatened that he would prevent Russell from working again in Hollywood.<ref name="ebert" /><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mistress-of-the-disturbed-1585308.html | title=Mistress of the disturbed | website=The Independent | first=Giles | last=Smith | date=June 6, 1995 | access-date=July 6, 2016}}</ref> He also sexually harassed actress [[Toni Kalem]] when she worked as his secretary in 1975.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://podtail.com/en/podcast/talking-sopranos/episode-66-all-due-respect | title=Talking Sopranos: Episode #66 "All Due Respect" | date=June 28, 2021 | access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref> == Personal life == Spiegel was married three times: to Rachel Agronovich from 1922 to 1926, with whom he had one daughter; to the actress Lynn Baggett, from 1948 to 1953, and to Betty Benson (1930-2013), from 1957 until his death.<ref name="sam">{{Cite web | url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/movies/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/spiegel-sam | title=Spiegel, Sam | website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> He also had a son by Ann Pennington.<ref name="sam"/> Spiegel maintained a connection with [[Israel]] throughout his life, particularly with such personalities as [[Golda Meir]], [[Ariel Sharon]], Jerusalem Foundation president Ruth Cheshin (wife of [[Mishael Cheshin]]), and his close friend, then [[Jerusalem]] Mayor [[Teddy Kollek]]. Spiegel also contributed to various [[Zionist]] causes. He spoke eight languages fluently: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew and Yiddish.<ref>Sam Spiegel appearance on ''[[What's My Line?]]'', episode 818. Originally aired January 30, 1966, on [[CBS]]. Viewed on October 3, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Fraser-Cavassoni |first1=Natasha |title=Sam Spiegel |date=2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-684-83619-5 |pages=23, 67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TtYex8ky_MEC&q=sam+spiegel+yiddish&pg=PA15 |access-date=March 19, 2019}}</ref> == Legacy == [[File:Relatives of Sam Spiegel with the sign that marks the lane named after him in Jerusalem.tif|thumb|Relatives of Sam Spiegel with the sign that marks the lane named after him in Jerusalem]]Spiegel's heirs and the administrators of his estate, son Adam Spiegel, daughter Alisa Freedman, niece Judge Raya Dreben, and Adv. David Bottoms, decided to transfer Spiegel's impressive art collection to the [[Israel Museum]] in Jerusalem. Since 1996, they have made an annual contribution, through the [[Jerusalem Foundation]], to the film school in Jerusalem bearing his name since that time – [[the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem]]. This annual contribution is the largest in the history of Israeli cinema. {{citation needed|date=March 2015}} In 2005, the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, the Jerusalem Municipality complied with a request from the school's founder-director [[Renen Schorr]] to mark the occasion by declaring the lane in the Talpiot industrial section where the school is located "The Sam Spiegel Alley." The street sign's inscription: "Sam Spiegel – Jewish-American Film Producer and Oscar-winner. Pioneer. Lover of Zion." == Filmography as producer == {{div col|colwidth=28em}} # ''[[Invisible Opponent]]'' (1933) # ''[[The Oil Sharks]]'' (1933) # ''[[Mariage à responsabilité limitée]]'' (1933) # ''[[The Invader (1935 film)|The Invader]]'' (1935) (co-producer) # ''[[Derrière la façade]]'' (1939) # ''[[Tales of Manhattan]]'' (1942) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[The Stranger (1946 film)|The Stranger]]'' (1946) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[We Were Strangers]]'' (1949) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[When I Grow Up (film)|When I Grow Up]]'' (1951) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[The Prowler (1951 film)|The Prowler]]'' (1951) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'' (1951) (as S. P. Eagle) # ''[[Melba (film)|Melba]]'' (1953) # ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' (1954) # ''[[The Strange One]]'' (1957) # ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957) # ''[[Suddenly, Last Summer (film)|Suddenly, Last Summer]]'' (1959) # ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962) # ''[[The Chase (1966 film)|The Chase]]'' (1966) # ''[[The Night of the Generals]]'' (1967) # ''[[The Happening (1967 film)|The Happening]]'' (1967) # ''[[Nicholas and Alexandra]]'' (1971) # ''[[The Last Tycoon (1976 film)|The Last Tycoon]]'' (1976) # ''[[Betrayal (1983 film)|Betrayal]]'' (1983) {{div col end}} == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == {{Portal|Biography}} *{{IMDb name|818545}} *{{screenonline name|id=590875}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110525124738/http://www.bafta.org/archive/david-lean/lawrence-of-arabia-journal,8,BAA.html The Making of ''Lawrence of Arabia''], Digitised [[BAFTA]] Journal, Winter 1962-3 * [http://www.jsfs.co.il/english/ Sam Spiegel Film & Television School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305085953/http://www.jsfs.co.il/english/ |date=March 5, 2013 }} * {{cite book | first = Natasha | last = Fraser-Cavassoni | title = Sam Spiegel | url = https://archive.org/details/samspiegel00fras | url-access = registration | place = New York | publisher = Simon & Schuster | pages = [https://archive.org/details/samspiegel00fras/page/465 465] | year = 2003| isbn = 9780684836195 | lccn = 2002030583 }} *{{Find a Grave|15339406}} {{Navboxes |title = Awards for Sam Spiegel |list = {{Academy Award Best Picture Producers}} {{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}} {{Thalberg Award}} }} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Spiegel, Sam}} [[Category:1901 births]] [[Category:1985 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] [[Category:People from Jarosław]] [[Category:Jews from Austria-Hungary]] [[Category:People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria]] [[Category:Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)]] [[Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople]] [[Category:American film producers]] [[Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent]] [[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]] [[Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award]] [[Category:BAFTA fellows]] [[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning producers]] [[Category:Sexual assaults in the United States]] [[Category:Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States]] [[Category:University of Vienna alumni]] [[Category:Jewish American film people]] [[Category:American Zionists]]
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