Sid Sheinberg

Entertainment executive Sid Sheinberg spent decades as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, a run that included launching the career of Steven Spielberg. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, he graduated from New York's Columbia Law School. What was supposed to be a one year sojourn teaching at UCLA became a lifetime residency in Los Angeles. He began working in the entertainment industry when he joined MCA in 1959. After spending time with the company's television production company, Revue, he joined Universal after MCA acquired the company. In 1971, he became the president of Universal Television, where he had signed a then 20-year-old Spielberg to a contract. His career continued an upward trajectory and he was named the President and Chief Operating Officer for MCA and Universal, alongside his boss and mentor Lew Wasserman, in 1973. His faith in Spielberg paid off when, despite a variety of production problems, the director's "Jaws" (1975) because a runaway hit. Universal began a period of extended success that included "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977), "Animal House" (1978), "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" (1982), and "Back to the Future" (1985). Sheinberg famously peaked Spielberg's interest in directing the Holocaust drama "Schindler's List" (1993), and then insisted that his protege direct the effects-heavy "Jurassic Park" (1993) first. The executive left MCA/Universal after its sale to the Seagram Co. in 1995. After leaving the studio, he formed the production company The Bubble Factory along with his sons, Jon and Bill. The company largely produced comedies, including the sitcom inspired films "Flipper" (1996) and "McHale's Navy" (1997). Sheinberg died at his home in Beverly Hills on March 7, 2019.