Lewis Horwitz, the influential film finance executive and producer who helped bring such independent films as Bloodsport, The Virgin Suicides, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Monster to the big screen, has died. He was 90.
Horwitz died Dec. 19 of natural causes at his home in Thousand Oaks, his family announced.
After founding the Lewis Horwitz Organization in 1980, he became known as the “King of Indie Film Finance,” a maverick who helped shepherd projects from development through completion by lending to independent productions against foreign presales, a model still in use today.
In a special issue of The Hollywood Reporter dedicated to the 20th anniversary of LHO, Rick Sands, then chairman of worldwide distribution for Miramax and a former COO at MGM, said Horwitz “invented independent film financing. He is the godfather of the industry.”
Along the way, Horwitz helped bolster the careers of such notable producers as Roger Corman, Avi Lerner, Lloyd Kaufman, Stephen Paul, Mark Damon and Arnold Kopelson.
“Among indie producers, he earned a reputation as a steady hand and a straight shooter in an industry not always known for either,” his family noted. “Colleagues frequently described him as deeply knowledgeable about the mechanics of the film business, with a particular fluency in the realities of independent production.
“He was known for advocating for filmmakers while remaining clear-eyed about budgets, risk and market conditions and for offering candid guidance to both emerging and established producers.”
Horwitz entered the finance industry as a bank teller in the 1960s before he moved to Beverly Hills National Bank, where he founded an entertainment division. At the time, only First Bank of Boston and Bank of America were lending money to Hollywood studios.
“They didn’t know what a deal memo was,” said Horwitz, referring to the written agreements (essentially contracts) that a studio or network gives to a producer. He convinced Beverly Hills National to lend money to Mary Tyler Moore against just such a deal memo, thereby helping launch CBS’ The Mary Tyler Moore Show and her production company, MTM Enterprises.
Dozens of deals later, Beverly Hills National was bought by Wells Fargo, and Horwitz would exit for First Los Angeles Bank.
His work contributed to the development and financing of about 700 films during his career, among them Dawn of the Mummy (1981), Kickboxer (1989), Attack of the 50ft Woman (1993), David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996), Jack Frost (1997) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).
After retiring in 2004, Horwitz became a consultant and helped arrange the financing for films including Oculus (2013), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Mojave (2015) and The Lost City of Z (2016).
Horwitz was also a magician, incorporating his act into speeches at film markets to the delight of crowds. He was Anthony Hopkins’ magic consultant on Richard Attenborough’s Magic (1978), served as treasurer for The Magic Castle in Hollywood and was a member of the Academy of Magical Arts’ Hall of Fame.
His wife of 70 years, Hermine, died June 20.
Survivors include his children, Jil, Gayle and producer Edward R. Horwitz (Unsolved Mysteries, The Jennifer Hudson Show); grandchildren Jay, Max, DJ, Alex, Joey and producers Andy Horwitz (American Hustle, Suicide Squad) and Aaron Horwitz (The Cleansing Hour), partners in a newly launched banner, Big Swell Entertainment; and a great-grandson, Nash.
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