John Springer, a veteran—indeed, legendary—theatre and film publicist, died Tues., Oct. 30 at New York Hospital. He was 85 years old. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.
John Springer launched his career as professional public relations man in 1948 when he started with RKO Pictures as head of magazine publicity. In the mid-'50s he opened his own business.
The stars he represented during that era were a virtual who's who in Hollywood. They included: Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Bette Davis, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Hal Prince, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Gary Cooper, Peter Sellers, Michael Redgrave, Lee Strasberg, Mia Farrow and Henry Fonda, among many others.
He handled dozens of movies. Among these: "Bonnie and Clyde," "Midnight Cowboy," "A Man for All Seasons," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Carnal Knowledge," "The Graduate," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," "The Graduate," "Amacord," and "Seven Beauties."
In more recent years, Springer was joined by his son Gary at Springer Associates and represented such theatre personalities as Tony Randall (and his National Actors Theatre), Liv Ullmann, Richard Thomas, Lainie Kazan, Michael Moriarty, Mia Farow, Ed Harris, Sylvia Sidney, Shelley Winters, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Janet Leigh and Stacy Keach, to name a few.
Springer was active in the Players Club.
He is survived by his wife, three children, and five grandchildren.