AllMovie

A notable catalyst for such films as Around the World in 80 Days, West Side Story, and 12 Angry Men, longtime producer and studio executive Robert F. Blumofe's career proved an exciting journey from law to film production. A New York native and graduate of the Columbia University law school, Blumofe got his first taste of show business when he joined Paramount Pictures' legal staff in New York shortly after earning his law degree. Packing his bags for Hollywood and shifting careers to television production in 1952, a producer job at Revenue Productions (later Universal Television) eventually led to a position at United Artists, and Blumofe held the position of vice president in charge of production and West Coast operations for 13 years. His departure from the studio in 1966 prompted work as an independent producer, and it was during that time that Blumofe turned out Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), Pieces of Dreams (1970), and Bound for Glory (1976). From 1977 to 1981, Blumofe served as director of the American Film Institute West and, as a trustee, he raised more than $50 million for the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Blumofe died July 22, 2003, in Los Angeles. He was 94.