Born c. 1921, in New York, NY; died of cancer, December 7, 1991, in Beverly Hills, CA.
Producer, studio executive, and literary agent. Jaffe will be remembered forhis work in the field of major motion pictures. After beginning his career asa freelance press and talent agent for MCA, Jaffe embarked on a six year tenure with the studio's newly formed television division. In 1957 he formed Herb Jaffe Associates, a literary agency that represented such writers as PaddyChayefsky, Philip Roth, and Joseph Heller, but later sold the agency and returned to the film industry. In the mid-sixties Jaffe moved to a vice presidential position with United Artists, and eventually became the studio's head ofworldwide production. Under Jaffe's leadership the studio released such filmsas Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango in Paris. He left UA in the1970s to work as an independent producer on numerous motion pictures, including The Wind and the Lion, The Lords of Discipline, and both FrightNight films. In addition to his work as a producer, Jaffe also served onthe board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1985 to 1988.
Books
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