Ronald L. Schwary

Born and raised in a small Oregon town, Ronald Schwary headed south to Hollywood where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in business and film from UCLA during the late 1960s. While Schwary has acted and directed during his decades in the business, his greatest success has been as a producer for film and television. After winning a DGA Award for assisting in the direction of the '72 pilot episode of "M.A.S.H.," he was an assistant director on the Oscar-winning '73 drama "Save the Tiger," the TV series "Kung Fu," the cult classic "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" and the William Holden TV movie "The Blue Knight." In '76, Schwary became an executive producer on the adventure film "Shadow of the Hawk" and continued with"California Suite" and "The Electric Horseman." He was a producer of the '80 Oscar winner for Best Picture, "Ordinary People," and his production streak continued with "Absence of Malice," "Tootsie," and "Let's Spend the Night Together." Schwary earned another Best Picture Oscar nomination for "A Soldier's Story" ('84), and moved into the '90s producing numerous high-profile comedies and dramas, including "Scent of a Woman," "Sabrina," "Meet Joe Black," and "Random Hearts." He has also produced and/or directed episodes of the TV shows "Tour of Duty," "Sisters," "Now and Again," and the award-winning NBC psychic crime drama "Medium." Ronald L Schwary died on July 2, 2020 in West Hollywood, CA at the age of 76.