Hollywood Leader, Sid Sheinberg, Died at 84

Sid Sheinberg, considered one of “Hollywood’s Greats”, passed away on Thursday at the age of 84. No cause of death has been revealed but the news came from an Instagram post from Sheinberg’s son, Jon Sheinberg.

Many are paying their respects including Casey Wasserman, the grandson of previous MCA manager Lew Wasserman- a former colleague of and guide to Sheinberg-  and Ronald Meyer, current Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal, who have both issued statements commemorating the late entertainment executive.

Sheinberg served as President and COO of MCA Inc. and Universal studios for over 40 years until his departure in 1995 which led him to create the production company, The Bubble Factory, with his two sons. He was known for a number of things, namely for the films he produced during his time in the entertainment industry. Sheinberg was also oddly famous for his attempt to convince filmmaker and producer, Steven Spielberg, to change the title for the now-classic science fiction film, Back to the Future, to Space Man From Pluto.

Arguably, his most notable achievement was giving a job and contract to Spielberg following the director’s 1968 short film, Amblin (which then became the name for his production company), and guiding him. Under Sheinberg’s guidance, Spielberg would go on to create what are probably his three most notable and highest grossing works: Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. Spielberg noted Sheinberg’s impact on his career as a filmmaker and the Twitter account for Amblin Entertainment released his statement on the former executive’s passing.

Robert Thornson Jr.: My name is Robert and I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of California Irvine. I am pursuing a B.A. in Film and Media studies with hopes to work in the creative industry. I have always had a passion for storytelling and since youth I've loved film. I grew up loving the movies of directors like Wes Anderson, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, and many more along with writers such as Aaron Sorkin and Quentin Tarantino. One thing I have always done is write about movies and communicate to others information about the "film community" and the industry as well as about the films themselves. I write creatively on a daily basis.
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