Background
Flaum was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, on September 13, 1925, and was raised in Union City, New Jersey.
Flaum was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, on September 13, 1925, and was raised in Union City, New Jersey.
Flaum returned to New York City, where he studied with acting teacher Lee Strasberg while appearing on Broadway. His Broadway credits during the period he studied under Strasberg included the 1950 production of Romeo and Juliet, which starred Olivia de Havilland, and Julius Caesar in 1951, in which he appeared opposite Basil Rathbone.
He enlisted in the United States Army during World World War World War II Flaum earned a bachelor"s degree in acting from the University of Iowa in 1948. He pursued a career as a stage actor following his graduation from Iowa. In 1957, Flaum joined the staff of the Columbia Broadcasting System documentary television series, Twentieth Century, hosted by Walter Cronkite, as a story editor, producer and writer
He relocated to the Los Angeles area in 1962, where he took a position in David L. Wolper"s production company.
His credits at Wolper"s company included Hollywood: The Selznick Years and The Battle of Britain. Flaum produced Hollywood documentaries covering such notables as Humphrey Bogart and Bing Crosby.
Let My People Go was described by critic Donald Kirkley of The Baltimore Sun as being "one of those rare programs which remind us of the heights to which television can soar when it is at its best.". In 1975 and 1976, all along with Cousteau and Cousteau"s son, Philippe Cousteau, he codirected Voyage to the Edge of the World.
Flaum died at the age of 85 on October 1, 2010, in Los Angeles due to complications of hip surgery.