George Shapiro, producer and longtime manager of Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, Andy Kaufman and different comedy stars, died Thursday at his residence in Beverly Hills. He was 91.
Shapiro was co-founder and accomplice in Shapiro/West Associates, the affluent expertise administration banner that helped assemble the mammoth NBC hit “Seinfeld” and quite a few tasks for Andy Kaufman. More lately, Shapiro served as govt producer of the Crackle/Netflix collection “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” hosted by Seinfeld.
A vivacious persona, Shapiro was identified for his lengthy relationships with purchasers and for his infectious enthusiasm for the enterprise of leisure.
“Shapiro’s love of laughter and reverence for those who inspire it helped him build a career in comedy as an unabashed supporter of comic performers and comedy writers,” Shapiro’s household acknowledged.
Danny De Vito, who co-starred with Andy Kaufman within the influential 1978-1983 sitcom “Taxi,” recalled Shapiro’s presence in the course of the manufacturing of the Paramount Television collection that aired on ABC and NBC. De Vito would later play Shapiro within the 1999 Kaufman biopic “Man On the Moon,” starring Jim Carrey.
“George was one of the sweetest guys on the planet. We got to see that smiling face every Friday night during the ‘Taxi’ days. He never missed a show,” De Vito stated in an announcement. “Peace brother.”
Shapiro’s function as a power within the comedy enterprise for greater than a half-century was saluted in an announcement from the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., for which he was a founding advisory board member. “He believed deeply in our mission to celebrate and preserve comedy’s heritage,” stated Journey Gunderson, govt director of the middle.
Raised within the Bronx, Shapiro had a decades-long partnership with West, who was a childhood buddy. Shapiro was associated to Reiner by marriage, as a nephew to Reiner’s spouse, Estelle Reiner. Shapiro’s early life had been chronicled in 2019 within the HBO documentary “The Bronx, USA.” Reiner died in 2020.
As a youngster, Shapiro spent his summers working as a lifeguard at the famed Tamiment Resort within the Poconos the place he was uncovered to the internal workings of showbiz and performers resembling Dick Shawn, Pat Carroll and Carol Burnett in addition to singer Barbara Cook. He additionally met expertise brokers which piqued his curiosity in shifting right into a behind-the-scenes function.
After graduating from NYU and serving a hitch within the Army, Carl Reiner in the end helped Shapiro get a job within the mailroom of his expertise company, the mighty William Morris Agency. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the energetic younger man was promoted to junior agent. He started packaging TV collection and trying out the cream of the comedy crop in mid-Nineteen Sixties New York, including Lenny Bruce, Mike Nichols and Elaine May and Phyllis Diller. He additionally introduced his previous buddy West into the expertise company enterprise.
As the trade advanced, Shapiro realized he want to maneuver to the Morris workplace on the West Coast to maintain his finger on the heartbeat of expertise. After relocating, he helped assemble such collection as “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” “That Girl” and “The Steve Allen Show.”
By 1973, throughout one other interval of upheaval for the leisure trade, Shapiro and West headed off on their very own as managers. The pair’s eye for expertise ensured the corporate could be among the many most affluent of management-production corporations. West died in December 2015 at the age of 84.
For Kaufman, Shapiro served as govt producer for the Showtime particular “Andy Kaufman at Carnegie Hall” and ABC’s legendary “The Andy Kaufman Special.” Other specials he assembled included Elayne Boosler’s “Broadway Baby” for Showtime, Seinfeld’s “Stand-Up Confidential” for HBO and the animated “The 2000 Year Old Man,” with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner reprising their beloved buddy act, for HBO.
Shapiro was a driving power behind “Man On the Moon,” the story of the troubled comedy genius who died tragically younger in 1984 at age 35. In addition to serving as a key character within the Milos Forman-directed movie, Shapiro additionally had a small function within the film himself.
Shapiro additionally govt produced the 2001 documentary “Comedian,” chronicling Jerry Seinfeld’s return to standup after the tip of “Seinfeld.” Other Shapiro movie credit embrace 1985’s “Summer Rental,” starring John Candy and Rip Torn; and 1987’s “Summer School,” starring Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley.
Shapiro was lengthy a champion of tasks about his native borough. He produced the 2003 documentary “The Bronx Boys,” about Shapiro and West’s cohort of pals from their elementary faculty days as P.S. 80. That was adopted 10 years later by “The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80” for PBS. In 2017, Shapiro, Reiner, Brooks and others had been featured within the HBO documentary about aged comedians “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.”
Shapiro is survived by Melody Shapiro, his lifelong buddy and mom of three kids: son Danny Shapiro, daughters Carrie Shapiro Fuentes and Stefanie Shapiro. He can also be survived by a brother, Don Shapiro, and 5 grandchildren: Adam Shapiro, Nathan Fuentes, Audrey Fuentes, Skylar Shapiro and Alana Shapiro.
A memorial service for Shapiro shall be held at a later date. The household requests that donations be made to the Festivus Fund via the California Community Foundation.