Dick Guttman, a veteran Hollywood publicist who represented Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Barbra Streisand during a career spanning more than 70 years, has died at age 93, it was announced Wednesday.
Guttman died Saturday in Los Altos, according to his company, Guttman Associates Public Relations.
Guttman and his wife, Gisela, lived in Malibu for more than 50 years, remaining there after losing their home in a 1993 wildfire. They moved to Los Altos last year to be closer to family following the Palisades Fire.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation established a memorial fund in his name.
“Guttman spent more than two decades helping EIF to build recognition and reach, and remained committed to its efforts to support members of the creative community through a variety of philanthropic efforts, including wildfire relief,” according to the foundation’s memorial tribute.
Born in St. Louis, Guttman moved to Los Angeles after World War II. He attended Fairfax High School and UCLA, where he began his publicity career with a part-time job at Rogers & Cowan.
After graduating, he worked as a unit publicist in Europe, including on Billy Wilder’s “Love in the Afternoon.” He met his future wife in Paris during the production, and they married in 1956.
Guttman returned to Rogers & Cowan in Los Angeles before partnering with publicist Jerry Pam in 1971. He established his own Beverly Hills-based agency, Guttman Associates, in the early 1990s.
His clients over the years included Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, Jay Leno, Janet Jackson and William Shatner. He also promoted films including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Dirty Harry,” “Unforgiven,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “The King’s Speech.”
Guttman was also a screenwriter whose credits included the 1963 film “Back Door to Hell,” starring Jack Nicholson. He published his autobiography, “Starflacker,” in 2015.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, two daughters, two granddaughters, a great-granddaughter and a sister.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s memorial fund is at support.eifoundation.org/page/InMemoryOfDickGuttman.