Producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr dies

Samuel Goldwyn Jr, the heir to a Hollywood dynasty and a movie executive who made a name for himself in his own right, has died. He was 88.
The producer died on Friday of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son, film and TV producer and former Paramount Pictures chief John Goldwyn, told The New York Times.
Another of his sons is actor-director Tony Goldwyn, who stars as the US president on ABC's 'Scandal'.
Samuel Goldwyn Jr's Samuel Goldwyn Co., founded in 1979, pioneered the business model for indie productions by exploiting low budgets and guerrilla marketing tactics. He was known for championing promising directors early in their careers, including Ang Lee (1993's 'The Wedding Banquet') and Kenneth Branagh (1989's 'Henry V').

He received a best picture Oscar nomination for 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World' (2003), which was one of the film's 10 nominations. His final producing credit came in 2013 with Ben Stiller's remake of his father's 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' (1947).
Goldwyn produced two Oscar ceremonies and such films as Cotton Comes to 'Harlem' (1970), 'Mystic Pizza' (1988), 'The Preacher's Wife' (1996) and 'Tortilla Soup' (2001), and for his lone directorial effort, he helmed 'The Young Lovers' (1964), starring Peter Fonda.
He was born in Los Angeles on September 7, 1926, the son of Samuel Goldwyn. In 1924, his father's Goldwyn Pictures was acquired by Metro Pictures Corp., which became Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Samuel Goldwyn Jr is survived by his two other sons, Francis and Peter; daughter Catherine; and 10 grandchildren.