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Hawk Koch

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Hawk Koch
Image
Koch in 2014
Born
Howard Winchel Koch Jr.

(1945-12-14) December 14, 1945 (age 80)
OccupationFilm producer
Spouses
Rita Litter
(m. 1967, divorced)
Marcia
(div. 1983)
Molly Jordan Koch
(m. 1998)
Children3
Parent(s)Ruth (Pincus) Koch
Howard Winchel Koch Sr.
Relatives

Howard Winchel Koch Jr. (born December 14, 1945), also known as Hawk Koch, is an American film producer.[1] A former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America, he was involved in the production of over 60 major films, including Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Way We Were (1973), Chinatown (1974), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Gorky Park (1983), Wayne's World (1992) and its 1993 sequel, Primal Fear (1996), Collateral Damage (2002), Fracture (2007), and Source Code (2011). He is currently a board member for AMC Entertainment, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Koch is a former road manager for the musical groups The Supremes and The Dave Clark Five. In 2019, he published his memoir, Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Koch was born on December 14, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Ruth (née Pincus), who is of Russian Jewish background,[2] and filmmaker Howard Winchel Koch Sr.[4] He was raised in a Secular Jewish family.[5] He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1963, and later attended University of California, Los Angeles, before dropping out during his freshman year.[2]

Career

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Hawk Koch began his career in London, working for music impresario and co-owner of The Dave Clark Five Harold Davison,[6] as a road manager for visiting American acts. Koch returned from London to manage The Dave Clark Five's 1964 United States tour.[7] 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.).[8] In 2010, Koch and Gordon were the first pair of co-presidents to be elected by the PGA membership.[9] The duo was re-elected in 2012.

On July 31, 2012, Koch was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,[10] making Hawk and his father the only father-son pair to lead the Academy in its history.[11] On August 1, 2012, Koch took leave from his post at the PGA in order to assume the Academy's presidency,[12] later rejoining Mark Gordon as PGA co-president in August 2013.[13] 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,[14] and securing major fundraising for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.[15]

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,[16] the South Dakota Film Festival,[17] and the Beijing International Film Festival.[18] He delivered the 2013 commencement address at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts,[19] and was a featured speaker at the 2019 Renaissance Weekend.[20]

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.[21] 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,[22] and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Personal life

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Koch dated Sondra Locke after the collapse of her relationship with Clint Eastwood.[23] He is currently married to Jungian analyst and writer[2] Molly Jordan, granddaughter of actors and radio personalities Jim and Marian Jordan.[2] He was previously married to Rita Litter, mother of his children Billy Koch[24] and Emily Anne Koch; to Marcia Zukor (now married to Ken Ziffren), mother of Robby Koch. He also previously dated actress Joanna Pacuła in 1983 after casting her in Gorky Park.[2] His grandsons are actor Cooper Koch and film editor Payton Koch.[25]

Filmography

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He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

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Year Film Credit
1975The Drowning PoolAssociate producer
1977The Other Side of MidnightExecutive producer
1978Heaven Can WaitExecutive producer
1979The Frisco KidExecutive producer
1980The Idolmaker
1981Honky Tonk Freeway
1983A Night in Heaven
The Keep
Gorky Park
1984The Pope of Greenwich Village
1989Rooftops
1990The Long Walk Home
1991Necessary RoughnessExecutive producer
1992Wayne's WorldExecutive producer
1993The TempExecutive producer
SliverExecutive producer
Wayne's World 2Executive producer
1995Losing Isaiah
VirtuosityExecutive producer
1996Primal FearExecutive producer
1997The Beautician and the Beast
2000Keeping the Faith
Frequency
2002Collateral DamageExecutive producer
2005HostageExecutive producer
2007Blood & Chocolate
FractureExecutive producer
2008Untraceable
2010Norman
2011Source CodeExecutive producer
2013Very Good GirlsExecutive producer
Second unit director or assistant director
Year Film Role Notes
1969PendulumSecond assistant directorUncredited
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
1970Getting StraightAssistant director
WUSAUncredited
The Baby Maker
1971The Hired Hand
Fools' Parade
Something Big
Going Home
1972Bad Company
Up the SandboxFirst assistant director
1973The Way We WereAssistant director
1974The Parallax ViewFirst assistant director
ChinatownAssistant director
1975Once Is Not Enough
The Drowning Pool
1976Marathon Man
1978Heaven Can Wait
Miscellaneous crew
Year Film Role Notes Ref.
1966Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterAssistant to producerUncredited
Billy the Kid Versus DraculaAssistant to the producer
1968Project XDialogue coachUncredited
The Odd Couple[2]
Rosemary's Baby
Production manager
Year Film Role
1975Once Is Not EnoughProduction manager
2005HostageUnit production manager
2007Fracture
2008Untraceable
As an actor
Year Film Role Notes Other notes
1969Bob & Carol & Ted & AliceEl Taco EmployeeVoice roleUncredited
2000Keeping the FaithRabbinical Professor
Thanks
Year Film Role
2019Above SuspicionSpecial thanks

Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
2004The RivermanExecutive producerTelevision film
2013Christmas in ConwayExecutive producerTelevision film
Miscellaneous crew
Year Title Role Notes
1973Magnavox Presents Frank SinatraStage managerTelevision special
201385th Academy AwardsPresident: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesTelevision special
Production manager
Year Title Role
1969Then Came BronsonProduction manager

References

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  1. "Hawk Kock". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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)
  3. 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.
  4. Los Angeles Times: "How did new Academy president Hawk Koch get his unusual name?" By Nicole Sperling and Julie Makinen August 1, 2012
  5. 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
  6. "Pop impresario Davison dies at 89". BBC News. October 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  7. "DAVE CLARK FIVE TO TOUR U.S., CANADA . . . NOVEMBER 7, 1964". Motor City Radio Flashbacks. June 13, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  8. Finke, Nikki (October 13, 2010). "Producers Guild Plans New 'P.G.A.' Mark". Deadline. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  9. "Hawk Koch Re-joins Mark Gordon as President of PGA". www.creativehandbook.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  10. "Academy Elects Hawk Koch as Its New President". The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  11. Thompson, Anne (August 1, 2012). "Academy Governors Elect Hawk Koch as New AMPAS President". IndieWire. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  12. "New Academy President Hawk Koch Stepping Down as PGA President". The Hollywood Reporter. August 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  13. "TheWrap - Hawk Koch Reclaiming Role as PGA President - Producers Guild of America". www.producersguild.org. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. "Academy Moves Toward Electronic Voting in 2013". The Hollywood Reporter. January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  15. "Motion Picture Museum: $2.5 Million Buys You a Green Room". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  16. "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.
  17. "South Dakota Film Festival kicks off in Aberdeen". AP NEWS. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  18. "Hawk Koch gives speech for BIFF opening ceremony". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  19. "Dodge College Commencement Speaker Announced: Hawk Koch". Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  20. "Home | Renaissance Weekend". www.renaissanceweekend.org. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  21. 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.
  22. "Hawk Koch Resumes Duties as PGA President Alongside Mark Gordon". The Hollywood Reporter. August 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  23. "Eastwood's new love". Daily News. Birmingham. May 3, 1989. p. 7.
  24. "Little Red Feather Racing — Management Team". data.littleredfeather.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  25. LeGardye, Quinci (September 20, 2024). "Ryan Murphy's Next Breakout Star Brings Erik Menendez to Life in 'Monsters'—Meet Cooper Koch". Marie Claire Magazine. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
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