Wayne Lewellen, a longtime distribution executive and philanthropist, died Thursday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 65.
Lewellen had a 40-year career in film distribution, starting with Warner Bros. in Dallas. He retired in 2005 after 33 years at Paramount, the last 12 as president of distribution.
At Paramount, Lewellen supervised the release of such Hollywood classics as "Titanic," "Forrest Gump," "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Star Trek" and three of the four Indiana Jones films.
A native Texan with a fondness for cowboy boots, Lewellen is remembered for his straightforward approach to business and generous devotion to philanthropy. He served as board chairman of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund, vp of the Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and ambassador to the board of Variety Clubs International.
In 1986, Variety -- The Children's Charity of Southern California honored Lewellen with a lifetime achievement award, and in 1998 he was awarded the prestigious Show E Award...
Lewellen had a 40-year career in film distribution, starting with Warner Bros. in Dallas. He retired in 2005 after 33 years at Paramount, the last 12 as president of distribution.
At Paramount, Lewellen supervised the release of such Hollywood classics as "Titanic," "Forrest Gump," "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Star Trek" and three of the four Indiana Jones films.
A native Texan with a fondness for cowboy boots, Lewellen is remembered for his straightforward approach to business and generous devotion to philanthropy. He served as board chairman of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund, vp of the Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and ambassador to the board of Variety Clubs International.
In 1986, Variety -- The Children's Charity of Southern California honored Lewellen with a lifetime achievement award, and in 1998 he was awarded the prestigious Show E Award...
- 3/26/2009
- by By Carl DiOrio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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