Background
Hellman was born to a Jewish family, on August 26, 1933.
Hellman was born to a Jewish family, on August 26, 1933.
He graduated from Union College in 1955, followed by Columbia University Law School.
He is best known for being the 42nd recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture foreign His 1978 film Coming Home was nominated for the same award. Hellman began his career as a talent agent starting with the Ashley/Steiner Agency and shortly set out on his own to form Jerome Hellman Associates which represented some of the outstanding directors, writers and producers during the “golden age” of live television
After leaving National Broadcasting Company, Hill, Shaffner and Cook moved on to directing assignments at Playhouse 90 which was the first 90-minute television drama series out of Columbia Broadcasting System’s new studio on the West Coast.
In 1959, Hellman dissolved his talent agency and turned to producing motion pictures exclusively. He partnered with George Roy Hill and produced his first film with George Roy Hill directing, starring Peter Sellers (in his first film made in America), Angela Lansbury and Tom Bosley.
Over the next 25 years he produced six more feature films. starring Sean Connery, Joanne Woodward, Jean Seberg. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.
Starring Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith and William Atherton.
Starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight and Bruce Dern. Promises in the Dark (1979) also directed by Hellman starring Marsha Mason, Ned Beatty. And starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix.
This creative team would last through The Day of the Locust and the early production stages of Coming Home.
In 1995 he was a member of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.
