Leonard Goldberg has long been considered one of the entertainment
industry's most talented, successful and creative executives and
producers of feature films, television series and films made directly
for television. He and his production company, "Mandy Films, Inc.", are
currently associated with Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Columbia,
where he has a number of films in development.
Goldberg has served as Head of Programming for a major network (ABC)
and President of a major Hollywood studio (Twentieth Century-Fox). At
ABC, he was responsible for developing and introducing an entirely new
format, the Made-For-Television Movie. As a television producer, he was
responsible for some of the most highly acclaimed telefilms ever made,
including
Freunde bis in den Tod (1971),
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976),
Something About Amelia (1984)
and
Alex: The Life of a Child (1986).
In partnership with Aaron Spelling, he
was also responsible for an unprecedented string of hit television
series, including
Drei Engel für Charlie (1976),
Hart aber herzlich (1979),
Neu im Einsatz (1972),
Starsky und Hutch (1975),
Fantasy Island (1977),
Die knallharten Fünf (1975) and
Eine amerikanische Familie (1976). Under his own banner,
he produced the spectacularly successful features
WarGames: Kriegsspiele (1983),
Der Feind in meinem Bett (1991),
Doppelmord (1999) and
Drei Engel für Charlie (1976).
Under his aegis as President of Twentieth Century-Fox, the studio
produced such critically-acclaimed hit films as
Broadcast News - Nachrichtenfieber (1987),
Big (1988),
Stirb langsam (1988),
Wall Street (1987) and
Die Waffen der Frauen (1988). Throughout his
busy career, Leonard Goldberg's productions have reflected his taste
and belief in giving important new talent a chance to shine. Some of
the many stars he helped launch include
Richard Gere,
John Travolta,
Matthew Broderick,
Jaclyn Smith,
Kate Jackson,
Farrah Fawcett,
Cheryl Ladd,
David Soul,
Paul Michael Glaser,
Kristy McNichol,
Nicollette Sheridanand
Daryl Hannah. And, on the executive side,
both Barry Diller and
Michael Eisner were given their
starts by Leonard Goldberg at ABC. A graduate of the Wharton School of
Finance and Commerce, Goldberg began his broadcasting career with ABC's
research department. He moved over to NBC one year later, advancing to
the position of Supervisor of Special Projects. He then joined Batten,
Barton, Durstine, and Osborne Advertising, but returned to the ABC
Network as Director of New York Program Development, and quickly rose
to become Vice President of Daytime Programming.
During his tenure at ABC Daytime, Goldberg introduced such
prototypical, highly successful shows as
The Dating Game (1965),
The Newlywed Game (1966)
and Dark Shadows (1966). A year
later, Goldberg was named Head of All Programming for ABC, a position
he held for the next three years. It was during this period that he
developed and introduced the new prime-time format--Movies Made
Directly For Television--which immediately became a favorite with
viewers everywhere and which still provides some of the medium's most
innovative and stimulating shows. After leaving ABC, Goldberg moved to
Screen Gems (now Columbia Pictures Television) as the Vice President of
Production. It was during this time that he sets into motion production
of the landmark television film,
Freunde bis in den Tod (1971), which
brought him the prestigious Peabody Award, among other honors. Under
his leadership, Screen Gems produced such hit television series as
Die Partridge Familie (1970)
and Verliebt in eine Hexe (1964).
After leaving Screen Gems, Goldberg formed a partnership with
Aaron Spelling, a partnership that
launched a generous portion of the most influential and popular series
in television history. These include
Drei Engel für Charlie (1976),
T. J. Hooker (1982),
Starsky und Hutch (1975),
Neu im Einsatz (1972),
Fantasy Island (1977),
Hart aber herzlich (1979) and the
beloved, award-winning Eine amerikanische Familie (1976).
The Goldberg and Spelling collaboration also presented some thirty-five
movies for television, among them the highest movie ever made for
television,
Little Ladies of the Night (1977)
and the movie which called national attention to
John Travolta,
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976).
Under the aegis of his Leonard Goldberg Company, Mandy Films and Panda
Productions, the producer presented
Something About Amelia (1984),
starring Glenn Close and
Ted Danson, on ABC in 1984. The highest-rated
two-hour movie of its season, and one of the highest-rated ever for
television, reaching some sixty to seventy million viewers. "Amelia"
was internationally acclaimed for the frank and sensitive handling of
the subject of incest. For "Amelia", Goldberg won the Emmy Award for
"Outstanding Drama Special", the Film Advisory Board's "Award of
Excellence", the "Grand Award" from the 1984 International Film and TV
Festival of New York, the Youth in Films Award for "Best Family Film"
and an award from the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse.
Other television projects produced by Goldberg include
Alex: The Life of a Child (1986),
based on the book by 'Frank DeFord' and
presented on ABC Theatre in 1986 as a General Foods Golden Showcase,
Karussell der Puppen (1984) and the
acclaimed for television series,
Class of '96 (1993).
