Larry Brezner (August 1942, New York City - 5 October 2015, Duarte, California)[1] was an American film producer, most notable for producing films such as Good Morning Vietnam, Throw Momma From the Train, & Ride Along.
Life & Career
Born in the Bronx, Brezner studied at the University of Bridgeport and St. John's University. He later studied at Johns Hopkins University, he graduated with a Masters in Psychology. He then was a teacher at an elementary school in Spanish Harlem before he moved on to the entertainment industry. In 1974 he opened a night club in Manhattan, where he met the producer Jack Rollins. [2] In the same year he joined the company of Rollins, Charles H. Joffe and Buddy Morra in and was their partner in the late 1970s. After Rollins, Joffe, & Morra withdrew from the company, he met David Steinberg and Stephen Tenenbaum within a new company, MBST Entertainment, Inc. (Morra Brezner Steinberg & Tenenbaum).
From the mid-1980s, Brezner served as the executive producer for various comedy specials on US television. Brezner supported, inter alia, the careers of artists such as Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Martin Short, and Bette Midler.
In 1984, with his first project as the main responsible film producer was Throw Momma From the Train. This was followed by productions such as Good Morning, Vietnam, The 'Burbs, and The Vanishing. In 2014 he produced the comedy Ride Along 2. His last project was the continuation of said movie Ride Along 2, whose completion outlived Brezner.
He died in October 2015 from leukemia, which was diagnosed a few months earlier. Brezner survived by his wife and two daughters. In his first marriage he spent seven years married with singer Melissa Manchester, which he paralleled his time as a manager.