Mace Neufeld

Mace Neufeld
Born	Morris Alvin Neufeld[1] (1928-07-13)July 13, 1928 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 21, 2022(2022-01-21) (aged 93) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Education	Stuyvesant High School, Yale University, B.A.
Occupation(s)	Film and television producer
Spouses	Helen Katz ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 1995)​ Diane Conn[1]
Children	Bradley David Neufeld Glenn Jeremy Neufeld Nancy Ann Neufeld
Parent(s)	Margaret Ruth (née Braun) Philip M. Neufeld

Morris "Mace" Alvin Neufeld (July 13, 1928 – January 21, 2022)^[1] was an American film and television producer. Born in New York City, Neufeld began working in the entertainment industry as a songwriter and production assistant 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.^[1]

Described by the L.A. Times as "a prolific producer with old-school Hollywood charm and a Renaissance-man résumé",^[2] 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.^[2][1]

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.^[3]

He is survived by his wife, Diane Conn, and children Brad Neufeld, Glenn Neufeld, and Nancy Neufeld Callaway.^[3]

Early life

Neufeld was born July 13, 1928, in

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,^[5] where his classmates included George H. W. Bush.^[1] After graduation, Neufeld went to work as a production assistant at the DuMont Television Network. He also composed music, writing songs for Sammy Davis Jr., the Ritz Brothers, and Rosemary Clooney.^[1]

Career

In the 1950s, Neufeld became a

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.^[5][1] They also produced 1991's Flight of the Intruder. Neufeld had earlier produced Clancy's The Hunt for Red October with Jerry Sherlock.^[5] 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,^[1] as well as Bless the Child, Lost in Space and Asylum.

Neufeld was a producer on

Neufeld married fashion designer Helen Katz in 1954, and had three children, Bradley, Glenn and Nancy.^[7][8][1] 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."^[2]

Neufeld died in Beverly Hills, California, on January 21, 2022, at the age of 93.^[9][1] He is survived by his wife, Diane Conn, and his three adult children.^[3]

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

As an actor

Thanks

Television

As writer

As an actor

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Mace Neufeld at
  IMDb
• Mace and Helen Katz Neufeld Collection, Bryn Mawr College Art and Artifact Collections