Neal Lemlein, Entertainment Marketing Executive, Dies at 71
Neal Lemlein, a veteran entertainment marketing executive who worked for CBS, Universal Studios and Fox, has died. He was 71.
Lemlein died July 22 of kidney cancer in Aurora, Colorado, his wife, Patti Lemlein, announced.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Born on Sept. 29, 1950, Neal Charles Lemlein was raised in White Plains, New York. He graduated from Tulane University, earned a master’s degree in international relations from New York University and landed at the Madison Avenue advertising agency Young & Rubicam.
In San Francisco and then Los Angeles, Lemlein steered marketing and media campaigns for some 200 films while working for ad agencies, CBS, Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox.
At Doyle Dane Bernbach, he developed a marketing plan for Star Wars (1977), and at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, he established and grew that agency’s entertainment practice, luring clients such as Paramount and NBC.
And as an executive vp at Universal, Lemlein helped create the first Jurassic Park theme park ride.
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1989, he recently was president of Around the Bend Media, a film financing, marketing and production firm.
In addition to his wife, whom he married in 1986 — actor Michael Douglas paid them a visit during their wedding reception — survivors include his children, Ryan and Alexandra; mother Rhoda; and sister Dian.
