Hollywood Publicist Dick Guttman, Who Repped Streisand and Eastwood, Dies at 93

Dick Guttman, the Hollywood publicity executive whose client roster spanned Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood and Jay Leno, died Sept. 19 in Los Altos, Calif. He was 93.

Over more than six decades, Guttman represented Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Gene Hackman, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor and William Shatner, among many others. Asked once how many clients he had handled, he gave his own estimate: "I've done the rough math, and my guess is probably 700 clients, and about 200 legends. I have been very blessed."

Guttman moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis, Missouri, with his family after World War II. According to his official biography, he rode Los Angeles streetcars to wait by the soundstage doors of popular radio dramas, collecting used scripts and autographs. He began in journalism while still at Fairfax High School, covering high school sports for the Los Angeles Examiner.

How did he build his career?

While attending UCLA, Guttman worked part-time for Rogers & Cowan PR. He then became a unit publicist in Europe, working on films including "Paris Holiday" and "The Key." He met his wife, Gisela, while serving as unit publicist on Billy Wilder's "Love in the Afternoon" in Paris. They married in 1956.

Back in Los Angeles, he spent more than a decade at Rogers & Cowan, representing top actors at the moment when actors were no longer under studio contract and "press agents" — his preferred term — became pivotal to successful careers.

In 1971, Guttman partnered with Jerry Pam to form Guttman & Pam, which became one of Hollywood's top agencies over two decades. He launched his own firm, Guttman Associates, in the early 1990s.

His film promotion credits include:

• "Unforgiven" and "Dirty Harry"
• "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Conversation"
• "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "All That Jazz"
• "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "The Man Who Would Be King"
• "The King's Speech," "The Artist," "Shakespeare in Love" and "The English Patient"

Beyond Hollywood, Guttman represented author Sidney Sheldon, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Sanrio's introduction of Hello Kitty.

What else did he do?

Guttman wrote screenplays for seven films, including 1963's "Back Door to Hell" with Jack Nicholson, and television movies including collaborations with director Joseph Sargent on "Passion Flower" and "Ivory Hunters." His 2015 autobiography, "Starflacker," recounted stories from his decades working with Hollywood's biggest stars.

After more than 50 years in Malibu, Guttman and Gisela moved to Los Altos last year.

He is survived by Gisela, his wife of 70 years; daughters Danielle Guttman Klein and Monika Guttman Robertson; granddaughters Alyssa Brucculeri and Claire Robertson; great-granddaughter Aria Brucculeri; and sister Joan Ostrow.

Guttman Associates continues to represent Hollywood talent, with colleagues Susan Madore and Rona Menashe overseeing the firm. The family asks that donations go to the Dick Guttman Memorial Fund at the Entertainment Industries Foundation, which supports members of the creative community through philanthropic efforts including wildfire relief.