Born November 8, 1921 in New York, New York, Walter Mirisch was the youngest of three sons born to Josephine and Max Mirisch, a tailor. He had two half-brothers from his father’s first marriage, his first wife having died young. He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1939. His first job was as an usher in Jersey City’s State Theatre. He soon moved up to other positions at other theatres.
A heart murmur kept him from joining the U.S. Navy during World War II, but anxious to serve his country during the war, he moved to Burbank, California where he worked at a bomber plane plant writing technical articles and sharing knowledge with other military manufacturers. After the war, he continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his BA degree. The following year, he graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration.
Mirisch produced his first film, Fall Guy, for Monogram Pictures in 1947, the year he married his wife, Patricia Kahan with whom he would have three children.
In 1951 at the age of 29, he became production head of Allied Artis Studio then a division of Monogram. During his tenure, he personally produced such films as Flat Top, Wichita, The First Texan, An Annapolis Story, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Love in the Afternoon.
Known in the industry as a perfectionist, he supervised every detail of his films from inception through every phase of production. In 1957, he founded the Mirisch Company with his brother Marvin and half-brother Harold. During their tenure, they produced 68 films for United Artis, including three that won Oscars for Best Picture, The Apartment, West Side Story, and In the Heat of the Night, the latter going to Walter personally.
Films that Walter personally produced for United Arts include Man of the West, The Magnificent Seven, By Love Possessed, West Side Story, The Children’s Hour, Two for the Seesaw, The Great Escape, Toys in the Attic, The Pink Panther, A Ahot in the Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Hawaii, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Fitzwilly, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Landlord, The Hawaiians, Fiddler on the Roof, Scorpio, Midway, Gray Lady Down, Same Time, Next Year, and Romantic Comedy.
Mirisch was the 21st President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1973-1977, receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Award at the 1977 Oscars, ten years after winning Best Picture for In the Heat of the Night, five years later, he won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1982 Oscars.
Harold Mirisch died in 1968 at 61. Marvin Mirisch died in 2002 at 84. Patricia Mirisch died in 2005 at 80.
After the death of Olivia de Havilland on July 26, 2020, Walter Mirisch became the oldest living Academy Award winner at 99. He turned 100 on November 8, 2021, and died of natural causes on February 24, 2023 at 101.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), directed by Don Siegel
Mirisch’s attempts to turn Allied Artists into a major studio reached their zenith with this science-fiction/horror classic, long regarded as one of the best of all time. In 1994, it was deemed culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress which placed it in the National Registry. Kevin McCarthy reprised his role of the frightened scientist in the 1978 remake in which he was seen still running, warning people that they were going to be replaced by pod people. Dana Wynter co-starred in one of her first major roles with Larry Gates, King Donovan, and Carolyn Jones in memorable supporting roles.
FRIENDLY PERSUASION (1956), directed by William Wyler
Although it was not as popular at the box-office as was expected, this film version of Jessamyn West’s novel about a Quaker family during the Civil War was Allied Artists’ most prestigious film earning six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor, Anthony Perkins. Gary Cooper was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor for a performance he hated, and Marjorie Main was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for essentially reprising her Ma Kettle persona. Dorothy McGuire, who Cooper was against casting as his wife, won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress.
THE CHILDREN’S HOUR (1961), directed by William Wyler
Nominated for five Oscars the same year as Mirisch’s West Side Story won ten, this was Wyler’s remake of his 1936 film, These Three. In Wyler’s earlier version of Lillian Hellman’s play, the brat (Bonita Granville) starts a rumor about a heterosexual affair between Merle Oberon and Joel McCrea with Miriam Hopkins as the third wheel. In this version, the rumor spread by the brat (Veronica Cartwright) is about an unspoken lesbian affair between Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine with James Garner as the third wheel. Fay Bainter was Oscar nominated as the grandmother of the brat and Miriam Hopkins played the aunt of her original character.
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967), directed by Norman Jewison
Mirisch collected his one and only competitive Oscar as producer of the film. It was the Mirisch Company’s third Best Picture win. Robert Wise collected the Oscar for West Side Story for which Mirisch was credited as Executive Producer while Billy Wilder collected the Oscar for The Apartment for which Mirisch took no credit. Mirisch later produced two unsuccessful sequels to this groundbreaking civil rights drama wrapped up in a classic murder mystery starring Sidney Poitier, here teamed albeit in an adversarial way with Rod Steiger who won the Oscar for Best Actor. Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, and Beah Richards co-star.
THE LANDLORD (1970), directed by Hal Ashby
Based on a novel set in Philadelphia, Oscar-winning film editor Ashby (In the Heat of the Night) moved the location to Brooklyn for his directorial debut. He also gave himself a cameo s the bearded hippie groom in the opening sequence for which star Beau Bridges is his best man. The film centers around Bridges’ buying a dilapidated old house in which he has an affair with one of the Black tenants played by the astonishing Diana Sands. Lee Grant received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Bridges’ acerbic mother who spars with tenant Pearl Bailey. Future Oscar winner Louis Gossett, Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) co-stars.
WALTER MIRISCH AND OSCAR
In the Heat of the Night (1967) – Oscar – Best Picture
Honorary Award (1977) – Winner – Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Honorary Award (1982) – Winner – Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
