Martin Bregman, the producer behind several of Al Pacino‘s biggest movies, including Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon and Carlito’s Way, died on Saturday.
His widow, Cornelia, told NBC News 4 in New York that Bregman suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at around 6 a.m. Saturday.
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Bregman’s son Michael told Deadline his father was rushed to Weill Cornell Presbyterian Hospital early Saturday morning. He said his sister, singer Marissa Bregman, called him to tell him their father was hospitalized.
“We were by his side when he passed at 5:45 p.m. Saturday,” Michael explained. “You don’t expect it when it hits, but he had suffered a couple of strokes and hadn’t been doing great before this massive cerebral hemorrhage. It was quick and peaceful.”
Bregman produced 29 projects in his career, mostly working on movies set in New York City. His first credit was Sidney Lumet’s Serpico (1973) with Pacino. Two years later, Bregman, Pacino and Lumet reunited for Dog Day Afternoon, which earned Bregman an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Bregman’s other Pacino-starring films include Sea of Love (1989), Scarface (1983) and Carlito’s Way (1993). His other credits include The Bone Collector (1999), Nothing to Lose (1997) and One Tough Cop (1998). He also produced several movies with Alan Alda, including The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) with Meryl Streep, Betsy’s Wedding (1990) with Molly Ringwald and Sweet Liberty (1986) with Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Pacino credited Bregman with launching his career.
“Martin Bregman discovered me off Broadway…. And that’s why I’m here. I owe it to Marty, I really do,” Pacino said in 2011.
“Marty Bregman… was a great producer,” Pacino told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, after Bregman retired. “He produced Scarface, Dog Day [Afternoon], Serpico, Carlito’s Way and Sea of Love — he was my guy. I’m missing a lot not having him around anymore, I must say, because he was what is so rare in what we do: a facilitator. You need a facilitator.”
Although retired, Bregman was working on the long-gestating new version of Scarface, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film has gone through several directors, and writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer was hired to do re-writes for Universal. Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) is directing and Diego Luna will star.
Bregman’s final completed project was the 2005 direct-to-video Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power, which his son Michael directed.
Bregman was born in New York City in 1926 and started as a business manager for Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, Pacino, Alda and others before producing films. He also co-founded several New York-based organizations, including the Association for a Better New York.
Bregman is survived by his wife, Serpico actress Cornelia Sharpe, his ex-wife, and children Michael, Chris and Marissa.
Photo credit: Facebook/Universal
