Frank Price
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
"Price is renowned not only for his genteel style but also for his masterful exits. Whenever he leaves a job he always manages to come away with millions of dollars along with loads of sympathy."--Peter Bart (VARIETY, September 30, 1991)
"Now Guber reigns supreme at Sony and he again turns to [Mark] Canton for results--results not supplied by the 61-year-old Frank Price, methodical, understated, vaguely patrician, a throwback to 'old Hollywood' when the film community was at once competitive, yet clubby."--Peter Bart (VARIETY, September 30, 1991)
Biography
One of the few Hollywood executives to come out of a writing background, Price interrupted his early TV career (where he was story editor and writer for CBS-TV from 1951-53) with a stint as story editor at Columbia Pictures (1953-57) which he would later head at two separate times. Credited with helping to create new TV formats: movies made for TV and the mini-series as well as the 90 minute series, Price left the presidency of Universal TV to become president of Columbia Pictures Productions and later chairman and chief executive officer of Columbia Pictures where he was involved with such story-driven, award-winning films as "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1979), "Tootsie" and "Gandhi" (both 1982) and top-grossers as "Ghostbusters" and "The Karate Kid" (both 1984). In 1983, after conflict with parent company Coca-Cola over his autonomy, Price swung back to Universal as chairman of the motion picture group and president of Universal Pictures, leaving in 1987 to form Price Entertainment. The company released a string of small budget, high quality pictures including such films as "Shadowlands" (1993), "Circle of Friends" (1995), "A Bronx Tale" (1993) and "Texas Rangers" (2001). After Sony's purchase of Columbia, the newly-installed executives Jon Peters and Peter Guber appointed Price to head Columbia Pictures. Eighteen months later in October 1991 when his colleague at Warner Bros., Mark Canton, was freed from his contract, he was brought in to replace Price who continued his association with Sony Pictures Entertainment with a non-exclusive production deal.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1948
Served in US Navy
1958
Worked for Ziv-TV
1961
Named executive producer of TV series, "The Virginian" (1962-70), TV's first 90-minute series
1967
Produced first feature, "Sullivan's Empire"
1968
Produced first TV movie, "Split Second to an Epitaph"
1971
Named senior vice president Universal TV
1978
Left Universal TV and MCA to become president of Columbia Pictures Productions
1979
Named chairman, CEO of Columbia Pictures
1987
Formed Price Entertainment Inc.; also served as chairman and CEO (produced movies and TV shows for distribution through Columbia Pictures Entertainment)
1990
Became chairman, Columbia Pictures after merging it with Price Entertainment Inc. in March 1991; contract bought out for a reported $15-20 million
1991
In October, replaced by Mark Canton as head of Columbia Pictures; reactivated Price Entertainment Company with a non-exclusive deal at Sony Pictures Entertainment to independently produce films that do not necessarily have to be made at Columbia
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"Price is renowned not only for his genteel style but also for his masterful exits. Whenever he leaves a job he always manages to come away with millions of dollars along with loads of sympathy."--Peter Bart (VARIETY, September 30, 1991)
"Now Guber reigns supreme at Sony and he again turns to [Mark] Canton for results--results not supplied by the 61-year-old Frank Price, methodical, understated, vaguely patrician, a throwback to 'old Hollywood' when the film community was at once competitive, yet clubby."--Peter Bart (VARIETY, September 30, 1991)
Chairman of the California Council of Harvard University's AIDS Institute.
He is a advisory committee member for the Will Rogers Memorial fund.
Price served on the board of governors for AMPAS.
He was former director for MPAA.
