Marvin Levy, Steven Spielberg’s longtime publicist and an
Oscar-recipient, dies at 96
[April 10, 2025]
By LINDSEY BAHR
Marvin Levy, Steven Spielberg’s publicist for over four decades and the
only person in his field to be recognized with an Oscar, has died. He
was 96.
Levy died Monday in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones,
representatives for Amblin Entertainment said Wednesday. No cause was
given.
“Marvin’s passing is a huge loss for me and our industry writ large.
There are many talented PR executives, but Marvin was one of a kind,”
Spielberg said in a statement. “I am grateful for all our years
together. Marvin never failed to make me laugh, he never stopped
smiling. We will miss you Marvin. You will always be in our hearts and
your memory will always make us smile.”
Levy's long-standing partnership with Spielberg made him one of the most
renowned and respected publicists in Hollywood. Over his 70-year career,
he worked on campaigns for film classics like “Taxi Driver,” “Kramer vs.
Kramer,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Back to the Future,”
“Schindler’s List," “Jurassic Park" and "Gladiator."
In 2018, Levy, a long-standing member of the film academy's public
relations branch, became the first and only publicist to receive an
honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. No
publicist’s name had even been put forth for the award before Levy's.
“It was way out of left field for me. I couldn’t have imagined it,” Levy
told The Associated Press in 2018. “It’s not like I could say ‘Gee, I’d
love to get that one day.’ It was not on my to-do list.”
Born in Manhattan on Nov. 16, 1928, Levy was raised on the east side and
attended New York University. Though he never set out to be a publicist
specifically, he knew he had a way with words. One of his first jobs was
writing questions for a TV quiz show. But he was fired when his “big
ticket” question was answered too early in the season.
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 His first publicity job was at MGM
in New York, where he was so far down on the ladder that he never
got to travel to Los Angeles, but where he worked on campaigns for
films like “Gigi” and “Ben-Hur.” By the time the company was
remaking “Mutiny on the Bounty," he knew it was time to move on.
Levy soon found his way to legendary publicists Arthur Canton and
Bill Blowitz, and then Columbia Pictures which took him to
California. It was during that time that he first started working
with Spielberg who was fresh off “Jaws.” He was told he was only to
concentrate on “Close Encounters." By 1982, he went full time with
Spielberg and wouldn’t look back.
While he had many highs in the industry, Levy also recalled a big
heartbreak when “Saving Private Ryan” lost the best picture trophy
to “Shakespeare in Love” at the 71st Academy Awards.
“That was the toughest night of my life in terms of the business,”
Levy said. But he put on a brave face at the Governor's Ball
following the ceremony.
Tom Hanks presented the honorary Oscar to Levy in 2018, noting that
it takes, “Something of a storyteller to get an audience hooked on
the story without giving away the story.”
Levy remained devoted to Spielberg, and Amblin Entertainment, up to
his full retirement in 2024. For him, it never got old.
“How lucky can you be? I mean it,” he said in 2018. “We work for the
best filmmaker around.”
Levy is survived by his wife of 73 years, Carol, their two sons, Don
and Doug, and two grandsons, Brian and Daniel.
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