Mark Damon
Actor and producer dies at 91
Mark Damon once won the Golden Globe for Best Newcomer and became a successful film producer.
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Mark Damon turned 91 on April 22nd. But now the actor and film producer has died.
Shortly after his 91st birthday, the American actor Mark Damon (1933-2024) died on May 12th. That reported the industry portal “Variety” citing Damon’s wife. He started his acting career in Hollywood in the 1950s and moved to Europe in 1963. He was then successful as a producer and sales manager.
One of his first big successes was the film “Young and Dangerous” from 1957. Three years later he was seen in “The Cursed”, for which he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Newcomer. From 1963 he was big in business in Rome. There he shot many spaghetti westerns and adventure films – from “Johnny Yuma” (1966) to “The Fiery Arrow of Vengeance” (1970).
After returning to the United States, he transitioned from actor to film producer: he founded his own production company, Producers Sales Organization, to bring American independent films to international distributors, and helped found the American Film Market and the Independent Film & Television Alliance. He was involved in more than 70 films, including as executive producer of the American version of “Das Boot”, “9 1/2 Weeks” and “Monster”, for which Charlize Theron (48) won the Oscar for best actress.
Regular guest in Cannes
Mark Damon explained 2013 to “Variety”on how he developed his independent film business: “Back then, in 1975, it was very tough. At that time, producers generally found financing from private sources. They couldn’t use foreign contracts as security; that’s something our company somehow invented.” Back then there were “no big-budget films made by independents.” He clearly enjoyed the job – and kept him active well into his old age. He came to the Cannes Film Festival every year for more than 40 years and said in 2015 about his time there: “We work about 17 hours a day.”
The deceased is survived by his second wife Maggie Markov Damon, son Jonathan and daughter Alexis. His first marriage was to the German actress Barbara Frey (69).