Tributes have been paid to Hollywood legend Lawrence ‘Larry’ Turman after his family announced his death at the age of 96.
The veteran film producer, whose career spanned an incredible six decades, was best known for his work on 1967 film The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman.
At the 1967 Academy Awards, the film was nominated for best picture, eventually losing out on the night to noir classic In the Heat of the Night.
Turman, who died on July 1, worked on more than 40 films over the duration of his career – he eventually retired in 2001, last working alongside Danny DeVito.
After his death, his family announced the news, saying: ‘Our father Lawrence Turman passed away late yesterday. It’s sad but he had a long and storied life.’
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul writer and producer Peter Gould said: ‘Very sad to see that Lawrence Turman passed away. A truly creative producer.’
He continued, celebrating the life of the movie legend: ‘[Lawrence was] wonderful, eclectic taste. Larry was my boss at USC. He will be missed.’
Another colleague of Truman’s from USC (the University of Southern California), Elizabeth Dale, paid loving tribute to her former work friend.
‘Larry led a remarkable life – we were fortunate to share part of it with him. He was a movie industry legend – a transformative member of our industry,’ she said.
The late producer paid $1,000 of his own money ($9,100 in 2023) to finance The Graduate, which went on to be one of the most successful films of the 1960s.
Turman’s most successful era as a producer came during the 1980s when he oversaw the release and success of a range of popular movies.
In 1982, the Turman-Foster Co. were behind the release of Kurt Russell sci-fi horror The Thing, which eventually went on to become a cult genre classic.
Four years later, the company also released US box office hits Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2, featuring iconic robot character Johnny Five.
Turman was well known in his later years for writing books and giving talks about the skills he learned as one of the biggest names Hollywood studios.
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