Dick Guttman Dies: Longtime Hollywood Publicist To Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gary Cooper & Many More Was 93

Dick Guttman, the longtime Hollywood publicist whose impressive client roster over the years included Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Tony Curtis, Milton Berle, Greer Garson, Simone Signoret, Carroll Baker, Candice Bergen, Peter Ustinov, Tony Randall, Dick Powell, Natalie Wood, William Holden, William Shatner, James Mason and Rex Harrison, died Saturday, September 19, in Los Altos, California. He was 93.

His death was announced by Guttman Associates Public Relations, the firm he founded. A cause was not disclosed.

During his years at Rogers & Cowan and later at his own Guttman Associates, he would represent not only an A list clientele of stars but some of Hollywood’s most celebrated films, among them Unforgiven, Dirty Harry, Bonnie and Clyde, The Conversation, Kramer Vs. Kramer, All That Jazz, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Man Who Would Be King, The King’s Speech, The Artist, Shakespeare in Love and The English Patient.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Guttman was raised in Los Angeles after his father moved the family after World War II. He ran track at Fairfax High School, covered high school sports for the Los Angeles Examiner and, while attending UCLA, studied film and psychology while working part-time for powerhouse PR agency Rogers & Cowan.

After graduating, he launched his career as a unit publicist in Europe, working on such films as Paris Holiday and The Key. While in Paris as the unit publicist on Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon, he met the woman who would become his wife of 70 years, Gisela, who survives him.

Moving back to Los Angeles, Guttman returned to Rogers & Cowan for more than a decade, representing actors including Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Tony Curtis, Milton Berle, Greer Garson, Simone Signoret, Carroll Baker, Candice Bergen, Peter Ustinov, Tony Randall, Dick Powell, Natalie Wood, William Holden, James Mason and Rex Harrison.

In 1971, he partnered with publicist Jerry Pam, and for more than two decades Guttman & Pam was one of the preeminent Hollywood publicity agencies. In the early ’90s he formed his own agency, Guttman Associates, and continued representing numerous films, TV shows and individual talents from his Beverly Hills office for more than 35 years.

A longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, his celebrated client list included numerous repeat winners and nominees of Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Tonys, Cable Ace Awards, and Grammys, such as Streisand, Gene Hackman, Eastwood, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Jay Leno, Janet Jackson, Christopher Reeve, Rip Torn, Cindy Williams, Martin Landau, Maximilian Schell, Tom Skerritt, Jane Seymour, Kathy Ireland, Marilu Henner, Stacy Keach, Steve Guttenberg, David Janssen, Jacqueline Bisset, James Woods, Robert Urich, Bo Derek, Ernest Borgnine, Donny Osmond and Mickey Rooney.

His client base extended beyond Hollywood to include personalities such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, author Sidney Sheldon and companies such as Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, Sanrio’s introduction of Hello Kitty, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Jane Seymour’s Open Hearts line with Kay Jewelers, Elizabeth Taylor’s House of Taylor’s fragrance and jewelry fields and such other jewelry leaders as Harry Winston. He developed campaigns for books by Dyan Cannon (her memoir of her life with Cary Grant, Dear Cary), Patricia Hearst and Wayne Rogers.

The company oversaw the launch of Movietime, which later became E! Entertainment, and Baseline, the first of the encyclopedic websites offering data about entertainment figures.

Guttman Associates continues to represent Hollywood talent with the founder’s long-time colleagues Susan Madore and Rona Menashe.

In addition to his publicity career, Guttman was a screenwriter with seven films to his credit, including 1963’s Back Door to Hell with Jack Nicholson and TV movies, including collaborations with director Joseph Sargent on Passion Flower and Ivory Hunters.

Guttman recounted many stories from his long career in his 2015 autobiography, Starflacker.

Guttman and his wife lived for more than 50 years in Malibu, even after losing their home to a wildfire in 1993. Last year, just after the Palisades Fire burned through much of the community, the couple moved to Los Altos to be close to other family.

In addition to his wife Gisela, Guttman is survived by daughters Monika Guttman Robertson and Danielle Guttman Klein, granddaughters Alyssa Brucculeri and Claire Robertson, great granddaughter Aria Brucculeri, and sister Joan Ostrow.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Dick Guttman Memorial Fund at the Entertainment Industries Foundation, which supports members of the creative community through a variety of philanthropic efforts, including wildfire relief.