Daniel Goldberg, producer of The Hangover trilogy, Space Jam, Old School, and many more, died in Los Angeles at 74. Jason Reitman, whose father Ivan Reitman had been friends with Goldberg since their college days in the 1960s, had confirmed Goldberg’s passing.
Ivan Reitman and Goldberg had collaborated on projects for over 30 years. These projects were Heavy Metal (1981), Space Jam (1996), Junior (1994), Fathers’ Day (1997), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Road Trip (2000), Killing Me Softly (2002), and Old School (2003).
Goldberg started his career with the film Meatballs (1979), a raunchy summer camp comedy starring Bill Murray for his first major role since replacing Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live. Later Goldberg created the sequel Meatballs III: Summer Job. His second project, Stripes (1981), was the military comedy starring Murray and Harold Ramis, their first of many roles together. After producing Meatballs and Stripes, Goldberg launched his producing career in the 1990s.
In the 90s, Goldberg was a co-executive producer on the 1996 The Late Shift, earning an Emmy nomination. He then became an executive producer of the animated series Beethoven and Extreme Ghostbusters. However, Goldberg’s most successful film had yet to come.
Goldberg found his biggest success with the trilogy The Hangover, a comedy of friends who run into trouble after a night of drinking: the film stars Ken Jeong, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper. The first film made $470 million globally with a budget of only $35 million. The film won a Critics Choice and a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Movie. The sequel made over $586 million. However, the third installment made $382 million. The third installment would be Goldberg’s last project.
Goldberg left behind his wife, Ilona Herzberg, sisters Kathy Hogg and Amy Goldberg, and brother, Harris Goldberg.
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