Mace Neufeld Biography
Morris "Mace" Alvin Neufeld (July 13, 1928 – January 21, 2022) was an American film and television producer. Born in New York City, Neufeld began working in the entertainment industry as a songwriter and production *istant in the late 1940s and then as a talent agent, managing comics, actors, musicians and writers, including Don Adams, Don Knotts, Neil Diamond, and the Carpenters. He began producing for television in the 1970s and in 1981 was nominated for a primetime Emmy for the TV movie East of Eden.
Described by the L.A. Times as "a prolific producer with old-school Hollywood charm and a Renaissance-man résumé", Neufeld's first feature film production was the successful horror film The Omen in 1976, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Three successful sequels followed. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Neufeld produced several screen adaptations of works by author Tom Clancy, beginning with The Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin and continuing with Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears. Film productions in the 2000s included Sahara and Invictus, and in the 2010s, The Equalizer, The Equalizer 2 and the Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series for Amazon.
During his life, Neufeld was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Israel Film Festival and the Palm Springs Film Festival, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Diane Conn, and children Brad Neufeld, Glenn Neufeld, and Nancy Neufeld Callaway.
Early life
Neufeld was born July 13, 1928, in New York City, New York, the son of Margaret Ruth (née Braun) and Philip M. Neufeld, a stockbroker.
In 1944, during his senior year at New York's Stuyvesant High School, he snapped a photo of an American soldier on crutches emerging from a taxi to greet his parents upon returning from World War II. The New York Daily News bought the photo and devoted a full page to it. The photo became a finalist for that year's Pulitzer Prize. As a result, Neufeld was offered photography scholarships at the University of Ohio and at USC. He chose instead to enroll at Yale University, where his cl*mates included George H. W. Bush. After graduation, Neufeld went to work as a production *istant at the DuMont Television Network. He also composed music, writing songs for Sammy Davis Jr., the Ritz Brothers, and Rosemary Clooney.
Career
In the 1950s, Neufeld became a talent agent and managed Don Knotts, Don Adams, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce and Jay Ward. Neufeld entered television series production in the late 1970s. His productions of the time included the variety show The Captain and Tennille, which ran from 1976 to 1977 on ABC, The Kids from C.A.P.E.R., which ran from 1976 through 1977 on CBS, and Quark, which ran for one year in 1978 on NBC. He also became a film producer, beginning with The Omen in 1976, along with its sequels. Neufeld next produced the TV movie Angel on My Shoulder on ABC in 1980, as well as the features The Frisco Kid (the first of several film projects with Harrison Ford) in 1979, The Funhouse in 1981, and Transylvania 6-5000 in 1985. Neufeld's small screen work continued, including a 1981 family drama American Dream and the fantasy of The Magic Planet (both on ABC), as well as White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd on NBC and the adventure of Lightning Force, a syndicated series, from 1991 to 1992.
His production company, with mogul Marvin Davis, was followed by one set up with Robert Rehme, which arranged an exclusive production deal with Paramount. Launching their partnership in the early 1990s, the team went on to shepherd Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, based on the bestselling books of Tom Clancy. They also produced 1991's Flight of the Intruder. Neufeld had earlier produced Clancy's The Hunt for Red October with Jerry Sherlock. When Rehme exited the partnership to become President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Neufeld went on to produce yet another Tom Clancy adaptation starring Ben Affleck, The Sum of All Fears, as well as Bless the Child, Lost in Space and Asylum.
Neufeld was a producer on Sahara, released in 2005, and on Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Neufeld produced Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starring Chris Pine, and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski, as well as The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, both starring Denzel Washington. Neufeld was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Israel Film Festival.
Personal life and death
Mace Neufeld's star on the Hollywood Walk of FameNeufeld married fashion designer Helen Katz in 1954, and had three children, Bradley, Glenn and Nancy. The couple remained together until Helen's death in 1995. He continued working into his 90s, serving as executive producer on the Amazon series "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan." As he told a reporter in 2014, "I figure I'll continue doing movies as long as I can tie my own shoelaces."
Neufeld died in Beverly Hills, California, on January 21, 2022, at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, Diane Conn, and his three adult children.
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
As an actorThanksTelevision
As writerAs an actorAwards and nominations
References
External links
- Mace Neufeld at IMDb
- Mace and Helen Katz Neufeld Collection, Bryn Mawr College Art and Artifact Collections