Judy Solomon, Beloved Longtime HFPA Member and Past President, Dies at 91

Scott Feinberg
·2 min read

Judy Solomon, a journalist who was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for two-thirds of a century and a six-term past president of the recently dissolved organization, died Friday. She was 91.

“We are incredibly saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague,” Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne said in a release Saturday. “The loss is profound, but we take this opportunity to celebrate her incredible achievements in helping evolve the Golden Globes into the world-spanning award it is today. We are grateful for her support and leadership during her 67 years of membership with the HFPA.”

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Solomon, who was born in Romania and raised in Israel, relocated as a young woman to the U.S., where she started a family and built a career in journalism. She became an entertainment writer for various publications in Israel, earning high regard for her insightful and thought-provoking features.

She joined the HFPA in 1956 and quickly became an active and influential member of the group. She was centrally involved in introducing TV host Dick Clark to the Globes and sealing the deal that led to his production company, Dick Clark Productions, producing the televised ceremony for decades. She was also a part of the decision decades ago to relocate the Globes from its longtime home at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub within the Ambassador Hotel (now gone) to the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton.

Solomon will also be remembered for championing other foreign journalists and expanding the HFPA’s involvement in the philanthropic support of arts, education, film restoration and journalism, using proceeds from the Globes.

“Not only did Judy love the HFPA, but she also loved Hollywood,” Hoehne said. “She loved the people she met, the executives she collaborated with and the rich tapestry of films and television that audiences around the world enjoyed.”

Solomon is survived by her daughters, Donna Sloan and Deborah Solomon, son-in-law Stephen Sloan and granddaughter Ashley Sloan.

The Golden Globes is now owned by Eldridge Industries and Penske Media, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter.

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