Quinn Donoghue, Veteran Hollywood Publicist, Dies at 86

Quinn Donoghue, whose long career as a Hollywood publicist included beating the drum for Superman, Pink Panther and Three Musketeers films, Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 21 Grams, has died. He was 86.

Donoghue died Dec. 28 in Los Angeles, his son Alex Donoghue announced.

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Donoghue also served as a unit publicist on Norman Jewison’s Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Quest for Fire (1981), Roman Polanski’s Frantic (1988) and Bitter Moon (1992), Michael Caton-Jones’ Rob Roy (1995), Robert Altman’s Kansas City (1996) and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

He did publicity for Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther (1963), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge (1974) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989), Superman II (1980) and Superman III (1983) and Cuba (1979).

Plus, he produced several films, including Snapshots (2002), starring Burt Reynolds, and wrote for the cartoon series The Triplets in 1995.

Born Quentin Donoghue in New York on March 13, 1937, he was a correspondent for United Press International in Madrid and spent most of his adult life in Europe as a film publicist and writer, working for Rogers & Cowan, United Artists, 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures.

Donoghue also handled Julie Andrews specials for producer Lew Grade, worked with Salvador Dalí on an aborted design for a production of the Harkness Ballet and helped with the launch of the London Dungeon museum and the Musée Giverny in France.

He wrote the 1985 book Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned, a history and examination of Roman Catholic confession, and 2012’s Leprechaun Sorrows: A Magical History of Ireland.

In addition to Alex, survivors include his wife, Katia, and children Greg, Natacha, Sophie, Sean and Siobhan.

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