Harold Hecht

Harold Hecht (June 1, 1907 – May 26, 1985), born in New York City, was an American film producer.

Harold Hecht started his involvement with the New York stage at age 16. He appeared in numerous classical stage productions and later danced with the companies of the Metropolitan Opera and Martha Graham. Then in the 1930s he became a dance director on film productions.

Harold Hecht is probably best remembered today for his association with the actor Burt Lancaster, whom he "discovered" on the New York stage and brought to Hollywood, and with whom he formed an independent film production company, breaking from the then-powerful studio system. Their companies were Norma Productions, the Hecht-Lancaster company and, later with the writer-producer James Hill, Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions.

On his death, due to cancer, at his (Beverly Hills, California) home in 1985, six days prior to his 78th birthday, he was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

His children are Steven, Duffy, Alma Hecht with his first wife Gloria Buzzell and Harold, jr., Adam and Rebecca with Martine Milner. His eldest is an attorney, son Duffy is a producer/writer and Alma is a Landscape Designer. Harold Hecht, Jr. became a television producer. Adam Hecht mysteriously vanished on July 7, 1989 from Beverly Hills, California at age 24 and has never been found. The story of Adam Hecht's disappearance was aired on the American television series Unsolved Mysteries in 1990. His youngest is daughter Rebecca Hecht.

Partial list of works

• Apache
• Vera Cruz
• Marty
• The Unforgiven
• Birdman of Alcatraz
• The Way West
• Run Silent, Run Deep
• Separate Tables

Cat Baloo

External links

• Harold Hecht at the Internet Movie Database
• Harold Hecht at Find a Grave