Si Litvinoff, the visionary producer behind Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and the Nicolas Roeg-directed movies The Man Who Fell to Earth and the Australian New Wave traditional Walkabout, has died. He was 93.

Litvinoff died peacefully Dec. 26 in Los Angeles, his buddy Shade Rupe introduced. Rupe interviewed him for the Blu-ray launch of Litvinoff’s groundbreaking 1968 movie The Queen, which revolves round a nationwide drag queen contest.

Litvinoff additionally produced the London-set All of the Proper Noises (1970), starring Olivia Hussey, Tom Bell and Judy Carne, and government produced a Roeg-directed documentary in regards to the 1972 Glastonbury Fayre music pageant that featured performances by Visitors, Fairport Conference, Melanie and Arthur Brown.

In 1965, Litvinoff optioned Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange for a reported $500 and despatched the guide to Kubrick. Whereas paying for screenplays by Burgess, Terry Southern and Michael Cooper, the producer sought Mick Jagger to star in it, all whereas Kubrick refused to decide to the undertaking.

Kubrick solely signed on after Litvinoff raised $1 million and went after Roeg to direct. The dystopian traditional, starring Malcolm McDowell, lastly was launched by Warner Bros. in 1971 and was nominated for 4 Oscars, together with finest image.

Litvinoff and Roeg, nonetheless, did collaborate on Walkabout (1971), which informed the story of two white schoolchildren (Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg, the director’s son) who get misplaced within the Australian Outback however are saved by an Indigenous Australian (David Gulpilil).

For The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Litvinoff and Roeg gave David Bowie his first huge shot on the films, with the rock star portraying a humanoid alien who crash-lands in New Mexico and turns into a businessman hooked on alcohol, intercourse and tv.

“Nic had been fascinated by Peter O’Toole. I used to be captivated with David within the music world and I cherished his document ‘House Oddity,’” Litvinoff recalled.

“However it wasn’t till [ICM agent] Maggie [Abbott] offered us with the documentary Cracked Actor that we had been each enthusiastic about David and knew that he was the one particular person to play the half.”

Born in New York on April 5, 1929, Litvinoff attended Adelphi School on an athletic scholarship and acquired his legislation diploma from NYU in 1954. As a lawyer, his shoppers included Southern, Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, Jim Dine, Jack Youngerman, Bea Arthur, Valerie Harper, Joel Gray, Orson Bean, Rip Torn and Alan Arkin.

In one among his first forays into producing, Litvinoff introduced Hail Scrawdyke, which mixed textual content from Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III, to Broadway. Directed by Arkin, it lasted simply eight performances in 1966. (It was, nonetheless, tailored for a 1974 movie, Little Malcolm and His Wrestle In opposition to the Eunuchs, which starred John Harm and was produced by George Harrison.)

His theatrical productions included the John Schlesinger-directed musical I & Albert.

Litvinoff acquired rights to the novels Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen; Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow; The Stars My Vacation spot and The Demolished Man, each by Alfred Bester; and The Diceman by Luke Rhinehart. He developed the tasks, although not by way of manufacturing.

Litvinoff additionally served as senior government accountable for manufacturing for Southern and Harry Nilsson’s Hawkeye Leisure and was government producer of a Seventies Doobie Brothers HBO particular, “Take heed to the Music.”

“He shall be remembered for his fast wit, essentially the most memorable of events and his love of entertaining associates with tales of his fascinating experiences,” Rupe stated. Litvinoff additionally was a collector of superb artwork and a connoisseur of wine and champagne, he famous.

Survivors embrace his sons, Ian and Bram; stepdaughter Gittel; and grandson Alek. A service is being organized.