William Immerman Dies: 20th Century Fox Film Executive During ‘Star Wars’ And ‘The Omen’ Era Was 85

Bruce Haring
·2 min read
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Bill Immerman, who was a Senior EVP during the 20th Century Fox 1970s heyday that produced such box office hits as Star Wars, Young Frankensten, and The Omen, died June 24 at his Los Angeles home of natural causes. He was 85.

As a Senior EVP at Fox, he was one of three men considered to be the “Office of the President” at the studio. He was also the executive in charge of the original Broadway production of The Wiz.

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Born December 29, 1937, in New York, he earned a B.S. in political science from the University of Wisconsin, then a Doctor of Law from Stanford Law School in 1963.

He became a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles in 1964 before joining American International Pictures as an associate counsel. He rose to VP in charge of business affairs and eventually AIP production executive during the time the studio produced such films as Little Shop of Horrors, Wild In the Streets, Three In the Attic, and An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe starring Vincent Price.

He joined 20th Century Fox in 1972, then headed his own production companies.

In 1979, he joined Cinema Group, Inc. as chairman of the board and president. It was the first motion picture company to raise start-up money from Wall Street through an initial private placement and a subsequent public offering. Immerman also had EP credits on the films Take This Job and Shove It (Avco Embassy), Southern Comfort (Fox), and Hysterical (New World).

The company also cofinanced such films as Staying Alive, Star Trek II and Flashdance with Paramount.

Immerman finished his career with EP credits on the soon-to-be-released Across the River and Into the Trees from Tribune Pictures.

A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1970, Immerman is survived by his wife, Ginger (known professionally as Ginger Perkins), two sons, Scott and Eric, and a daughter, Lara Myrene.

A memorial billed as a “Going Away Party” will be held on Friday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m, at Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.  RSVP to Ginger Immerman at Ginger@FranticRedhead.com if attending.

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