Hawk Koch
Koch in 2014
Born
Howard Winchel Koch Jr.

(1945-12-14) December 14, 1945 (age 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationFilm producer
Spouses
Rita Litter
​
​
(m. 1967, divorced)​
Marcia
​
(div. 1983)​
​
​
(m. 1984, divorced)​
Molly Jordan Koch
​
(m. 1998)​
ChildrenBilly Koch
Emily Anne Koch
Robby Koch
Parent(s)Ruth (Pincus) Koch
Howard Winchel Koch Sr.

Howard Winchel "Hawk" Koch Jr. (born December 14, 1945) is an American film producer,[1] the former president of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[2] and the Producers Guild of America,[3] and a former road manager for the musical groups The Supremes and The Dave Clark Five. Koch is the author of the book Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood[4] published in 2019.[5]

Koch serves on the board of directors for AMC Entertainment, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Producers Guild of America, and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Early life

Koch was born to a non-religious[4]Jewish family[6][7] in Los Angeles, California. He was raised in the film business, the son of Ruth (Pincus) and producer/director/actor Howard Winchel Koch Sr. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1963.

Career

Hawk Koch began his career in London, working for music impresario and co-owner of The Dave Clark Five Harold Davison,[8] as a road manager for visiting American acts. Koch returned from London to manage The Dave Clark Five's 1964 United States tour.[9] After his time in the music business, Hawk Koch turned to filmmaking in Hollywood, working as assistant director for a number of directors and later as a producer.

Koch has been intimately involved with the making of more than 60 major motion pictures, including Chinatown, Heaven Can Wait, Marathon Man, The Way We Were, Primal Fear, Wayne's World, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Rosemary's Baby. His colleagues and collaborators have included Sidney Pollack, Roman Polanski, John Schlesinger, Francis Ford Coppola, and Warren Beatty. Hawk has worked with Natalie Wood, Laurence Olivier, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand, Anthony Hopkins, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane, Edward Norton, and Halle Berry.

At the Producers Guild of America (PGA), Koch and co-president Mark Gordon led the fight to preserve the producer's credit and secured all the major film studios and major independent film studios to agree to uphold the Producer's Mark (p.g.a.).[10] In 2010, Koch and Gordon were the first pair of co-presidents to be elected by the PGA membership.[11] The duo was re-elected in 2012.

On July 31, 2012, Koch was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,[2] making Hawk and his father the only father-son pair to lead the Academy in its history.[12] On August 1, 2012, Koch took leave from his post at the PGA in order to assume the Academy's presidency,[13] later rejoining Mark Gordon as PGA co-president in August 2013.[14] During his tenure at the Academy, Koch spearheaded several initiatives including a call for diversity, launching the first general membership meeting in its history, sharpening the focus on member engagement and the future of filmmaking, implementing the Academy's digital voting system,[15] and securing major fundraising for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.[16]

Koch has given one-on-one talks with Francis Coppola, Tom Cruise, and Jake Gyllenhaal at the annual Produced by Conference, and he has been a featured speaker at the Sarajevo Film Festival,[17] the South Dakota Film Festival,[18] and the Beijing International Film Festival.[19] He delivered the 2013 commencement address at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts,[20] and was a featured speaker at the 2019 Renaissance Weekend.[21]

Koch is a vocal advocate for diversity and representation in film and television as well as diversity within the entertainment industry's professional guilds and organizations.[22] As of 2020, Koch serves on the board of directors for AMC Entertainment, Cast and Crew, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Producers Guild of America, and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Personal life

Koch is married to Jungian analyst and writer[4] Molly Jordan Koch.[4] He was previously married to Rita Litter, mother of his children Billy Koch[23] and Emily Anne Koch; to Marcia (no last name given), mother of Robby Koch; and to actress Joanna Pacuła.[4]

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year Film Credit
1975 The Drowning Pool Associate producer
1977 The Other Side of Midnight Executive producer
1978 Heaven Can Wait Executive producer
1979 The Frisco Kid Executive producer
1980 The Idolmaker
1981 Honky Tonk Freeway
1983 A Night in Heaven
The Keep
Gorky Park
1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village
1989 Rooftops
1990 The Long Walk Home
1991 Necessary Roughness Executive producer
1992 Wayne's World Executive producer
1993 The Temp Executive producer
Sliver Executive producer
Wayne's World 2 Executive producer
1995 Losing Isaiah
Virtuosity Executive producer
1996 Primal Fear Executive producer
1997 The Beautician and the Beast
2000 Keeping the Faith
Frequency
2002 Collateral Damage Executive producer
2005 Hostage Executive producer
2007 Blood & Chocolate
Fracture Executive producer
2008 Untraceable
2010 Norman
2011 Source Code Executive producer
2013 Very Good Girls Executive producer
Second unit director or assistant director
Year Film Role Notes
1969 Pendulum Second assistant director Uncredited
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
1970 Getting Straight Assistant director
WUSA Uncredited
The Baby Maker
1971 The Hired Hand
Fools' Parade
Something Big
Going Home
1972 Bad Company
Up the Sandbox First assistant director
1973 The Way We Were Assistant director
1974 The Parallax View First assistant director
Chinatown Assistant director
1975 Once Is Not Enough
The Drowning Pool
1976 Marathon Man
1978 Heaven Can Wait
Miscellaneous crew
Year Film Role Notes Ref.
1966 Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter Assistant to producer Uncredited
Billy the Kid Versus Dracula Assistant to the producer
1968 Project X Dialogue coach Uncredited
The Odd Couple [4]
Rosemary's Baby
Production manager
Year Film Role
1975 Once Is Not Enough Production manager
2005 Hostage Unit production manager
2007 Fracture
2008 Untraceable
As an actor
Year Film Role Notes Other notes
1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice El Taco Employee Voice role Uncredited
2000 Keeping the Faith Rabbinical Professor
Thanks
Year Film Role
2019 Above Suspicion Special thanks

Television

Year Title Credit Notes
2004 The Riverman Executive producer Television film
2013 Christmas in Conway Executive producer Television film
Miscellaneous crew
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra Stage manager Television special
2013 85th Academy Awards President: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Television special
Production manager
Year Title Role
1969 Then Came Bronson Production manager

References

  1. ^ "Hawk Kock". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Academy Elects Hawk Koch as Its New President". The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hawk Koch Resumes Duties as PGA President Alongside Mark Gordon". The Hollywood Reporter. August 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Koch, Hawk (2019). Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood. Jordan, Molly. New York. ISBN 978-1-64293-302-4. OCLC 1096514606.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Hammond, Pete (November 14, 2019). "Hawk Koch On His New Memoir 'Magic Time': Stories From A Life In The Movie Business And Escaping The Shadow Of His Father's Hollywood Legacy". Deadline. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  6. ^ Los Angeles Times: "How did new Academy president Hawk Koch get his unusual name?" By Nicole Sperling and Julie Makinen August 1, 2012
  7. ^ Jewish Journal: "At Pepperdine, ruminations on Hollywood's patrimony straight from its (Jewish) patriarchy" by Danielle Berrin October 6, 2013 | cached version at Archived December 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Pop impresario Davison dies at 89". BBC News. October 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  9. ^ "DAVE CLARK FIVE TO TOUR U.S., CANADA . . . NOVEMBER 7, 1964". Motor City Radio Flashbacks. June 13, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  10. ^ Finke, Nikki (October 13, 2010). "Producers Guild Plans New 'P.G.A.' Mark". Deadline. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hawk Koch Re-joins Mark Gordon as President of PGA". www.creativehandbook.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  12. ^ Thompson, Anne (August 1, 2012). "Academy Governors Elect Hawk Koch as New AMPAS President". IndieWire. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  13. ^ "New Academy President Hawk Koch Stepping Down as PGA President". The Hollywood Reporter. August 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. ^ "TheWrap - Hawk Koch Reclaiming Role as PGA President - Producers Guild of America". www.producersguild.org. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "Academy Moves Toward Electronic Voting in 2013". The Hollywood Reporter. January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  16. ^ "Motion Picture Museum: $2.5 Million Buys You a Green Room". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  17. ^ "The continuation of the collaboration between the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science and Talents Sarajevo". sff.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  18. ^ "South Dakota Film Festival kicks off in Aberdeen". AP NEWS. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  19. ^ "Hawk Koch gives speech for BIFF opening ceremony". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  20. ^ "Dodge College Commencement Speaker Announced: Hawk Koch". Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  21. ^ "Home | Renaissance Weekend". www.renaissanceweekend.org. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  22. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 21, 2016). "Former Academy President Hawk Koch Issues Diversity Challenge In Wake Of All White Oscars". Deadline. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  23. ^ "Little Red Feather Racing — Management Team". data.littleredfeather.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.

External links

Non-profit organization positions Preceded byTom Sherak President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2012-2013 Succeeded byCheryl Boone Isaacs Preceded byMarshall Herskovitz Co-President of the Producers Guild of America 2010-2014 (co-president with Mark Gordon) Succeeded byGary Lucchesi and Lori McCreary
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