ROBERT Evans has died at the age of 89.
The Hollywood producer was behind a string of iconic films including The Godfather. Here’s what we know…
Who was Robert Evans?
Evans was born Robert J. Shapera in New York, the second son of Archie Shapera, a dentist, and his wife, Florence, a homemaker.
He began acting in radio while in junior high school, going on to appear in more than 300 shows.
After “The Sun Also Rises,” Evans left Hollywood to join his brother in the clothing business, but was lured back in 1966 when Zanuck offered him a three-picture contract as a producer.
That same year Paramount Pictures hired him to head production.
There, he quickly converted the studio from a maker of mediocre films to the biggest hit machine in Hollywood, home to “The Godfather” and “Love Story” among others.
His career was a story of comebacks and reinventions.
Evans had launched a successful women’s clothing line with his brother, Charles, and was visiting Los Angeles on business when actress Norma Shearer saw him sunbathing by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
She persuaded producers to hire the handsome, dark-haired 26-year-old to play her late husband, movie mogul Irving Thalberg, in “Man of a Thousand Faces,” a film about horror movie star Lon Chaney.
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How did he die?
Evans publicist, Monique Moss, confirmed that Evans died on Saturday October 26 2019.
No other details Monday were immediately available.