John Kohn

An Oscar-nominated writer/producer who was responsible for getting such popular films as Reach for Glory (1962) and The Collector (1965) before the cameras, John Kohn was also a scribe for some of the most popular television programs of the late '50s and early '60s. Born in New York City in 1925, Kohn began his career as a radio writer in the mid-'50s. Later moving into television with work in such small-screen staples as How to Marry a Millionaire and Dobie Gillis, Kohn relocated to Paris in 1959 to write for Art Buchwald and later produced his first film, Reach for Glory, while living in the City of Lights. Collaborating with longtime writing partner Stanley Mann to pen William Wyler's The Collector in 1964 (which Kohn also produced) proved a success when the duo was nominated for a best screenplay adaptation Oscar, and Kohn soon returned stateside as the head of production for EMI. Seeing though such popular efforts as The Jazz Singer (1980), Tender Mercies, and Bad Boys (both 1983) in his four-year tenure at EMI as an independent producer, Kohn's later credits included such efforts as Racing With the Moon (1984) and the notorious Madonna/Sean Penn vehicle Shanghai Surprise (1986). Married to the daughter of agent/producer Sam Jaffe in 1953, Kohn fathered two children, including popular Hollywood assistant director/producer Peter Kohn. Following a short bout with cancer, John Kohn died in his Sherman Oaks, CA, home in early May 2002. He was 76.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide