HARRY SALTZMAN
Harry Saltzman (October 27, 1915 - September 28, 1994) was a theatre and film
producer best known for his mega-gamble that led to him co-produce the James
Bond film series with Albert R. Broccoli. He lived most of his life in Denham,
Buckinghamshire
Saltzman was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada but ran away from home at
the age of 15, according to daughter Hilary Saltzman, as reported in the Ian
Fleming Foundation documentary: "Harry Saltzman: Showman" and about the age of
17 had hooked up with a circus. It's neither clear how long he traveled with the
circus (daughter guesses several years), but it's definite that by 1939 he
served in the Canadian Army in France.
After a mysterious assignment (apparently Saltzman got some "up close and
personal" first hand experience with clandestine activities working in some
capacity as an "intelligence field officer") during WW-II after the war Saltzman
ended up in Paris, France. There he met the war refugee and eventually his
Romanian-born wife Jaquie while operating as a talent scout or procurer for
European productions on stage, television and in film.
Whatever the exact nature of his business, he accumulated a huge number of
entertainment business contacts and became "a contact" when someone had a talent
or production problem. Despite such interpersonal successes, those were lean
years for the Saltzman family and though he gradually began to produce stage
plays with some success, the family was quite poor according to son Steven.
Saltzman moved the family of four to Britain in the mid-fifties where he started
Woodfall productions, again produced theater, and then entered the film business
producing The Iron Petticoat (1956) which was a theatre adaptation to film.
According to the narrative in the documentary: "The landmark film introduces a
new genre, the kitchen sink movie'," and thereafter other critically acclaimed
social dramas such as 1959's Look Back in Anger and 1960's Saturday Night and
Sunday Morning, but began casting around for something which would be more
profitable than these modestly successful but high quality films.
"My father, I think, was an incredible visionary, and creative person."
"He always felt some of the best scripts were to be found in theatre, and that
they were seen by only a few people, and that a way to let more people
experience the medium that he felt was under viewed and under appreciated was to
go into films."
"He always felt, the films he made during Woodfall were seminal, they gave him
the direction [for the rest of his life] and they were films that brought him
tremendous joy that he'd made them."
In early 1961, excited by reading the James Bond novel Goldfinger, he made a bid
to land film rights to the character. Partnering with Albert R. Broccoli in 1962
Saltzman co-founded Danjaq, LLC, a holding company responsible for the copyright
and trademarks of James Bond on screen, the parent company of EON Productions,
which they also set up as the film production company producing the Bond films.
The moniker Danjaq is a combination of Broccoli's and Saltzman's wives' first
names, Dana and Jaquie.
In 1975 after financial difficulties due to Bond-unrelated ventures, Saltzman
sold his 50% stake in Danjaq to United Artists Corporation. Concurrently, his
beloved wife Jaquie was diagnosed with terminal cancer and according to
interviews given by his daughter Hilary and son Steven in the documentary "Harry
Saltzman SHOWMAN" his health also declined and he became depressed, sold the
English country mansion where he loved to hold production meetings in the
rooftop pool, and moved to Florida. As related by friend Roger Moore, Jaquie
died while The Spy Who Loved Me was shooting, which places her passing in late
1976 or early 1977. Saltzman all-but-retired from the movie business thereafter
until he undertook to produce Nijinsky in 1980 and the 1988 British-Italian-Yugoslavian
co-production Time of the Gypsies.
Harry Saltzman (October 27, 1915 - September 28, 1994) was a theatre and film
producer best known for his mega-gamble that led to him co-produce the James
Bond film series with Albert R. Broccoli. He lived most of his life in Denham,
Buckinghamshire
Saltzman was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada but ran away from home at
the age of 15, according to daughter Hilary Saltzman, as reported in the Ian
Fleming Foundation documentary: "Harry Saltzman: Showman" and about the age of
17 had hooked up with a circus. It's neither clear how long he traveled with the
circus (daughter guesses several years), but it's definite that by 1939 he
served in the Canadian Army in France.
After a mysterious assignment (apparently Saltzman got some "up close and
personal" first hand experience with clandestine activities working in some
capacity as an "intelligence field officer") during WW-II after the war Saltzman
ended up in Paris, France. There he met the war refugee and eventually his
Romanian-born wife Jaquie while operating as a talent scout or procurer for
European productions on stage, television and in film.
Whatever the exact nature of his business, he accumulated a huge number of
entertainment business contacts and became "a contact" when someone had a talent
or production problem. Despite such interpersonal successes, those were lean
years for the Saltzman family and though he gradually began to produce stage
plays with some success, the family was quite poor according to son Steven.
Saltzman moved the family of four to Britain in the mid-fifties where he started
Woodfall productions, again produced theater, and then entered the film business
producing The Iron Petticoat (1956) which was a theatre adaptation to film.
According to the narrative in the documentary: "The landmark film introduces a
new genre, the kitchen sink movie'," and thereafter other critically acclaimed
social dramas such as 1959's Look Back in Anger and 1960's Saturday Night and
Sunday Morning, but began casting around for something which would be more
profitable than these modestly successful but high quality films.
"My father, I think, was an incredible visionary, and creative person."
"He always felt some of the best scripts were to be found in theatre, and that
they were seen by only a few people, and that a way to let more people
experience the medium that he felt was under viewed and under appreciated was to
go into films."
"He always felt, the films he made during Woodfall were seminal, they gave him
the direction [for the rest of his life] and they were films that brought him
tremendous joy that he'd made them."
In early 1961, excited by reading the James Bond novel Goldfinger, he made a bid
to land film rights to the character. Partnering with Albert R. Broccoli in 1962
Saltzman co-founded Danjaq, LLC, a holding company responsible for the copyright
and trademarks of James Bond on screen, the parent company of EON Productions,
which they also set up as the film production company producing the Bond films.
The moniker Danjaq is a combination of Broccoli's and Saltzman's wives' first
names, Dana and Jaquie.
In 1975 after financial difficulties due to Bond-unrelated ventures, Saltzman
sold his 50% stake in Danjaq to United Artists Corporation. Concurrently, his
beloved wife Jaquie was diagnosed with terminal cancer and according to
interviews given by his daughter Hilary and son Steven in the documentary "Harry
Saltzman SHOWMAN" his health also declined and he became depressed, sold the
English country mansion where he loved to hold production meetings in the
rooftop pool, and moved to Florida. As related by friend Roger Moore, Jaquie
died while The Spy Who Loved Me was shooting, which places her passing in late
1976 or early 1977. Saltzman all-but-retired from the movie business thereafter
until he undertook to produce Nijinsky in 1980 and the 1988 British-Italian-Yugoslavian
co-production Time of the Gypsies.