Jerome Charles Weintraub was born 26 September 1937 and died on 6 July 2015. He was a music executive, concert promoter, actor, and producer of films such as “Nashville”, “The Karate Kid”, and “Ocean’s Eleven”.
So how rich was Jerry Weintraub? He had an estimated new worth of $325, which he earned from his producer credits in film, TV, and music.
Jerry Weintraub Net Worth $325 Million
Weintraub was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA to Jewish couple Rose Bass and Samuel Weintraub, a gem dealer. At a young age, he worked as a theater usher, waiter, mailroom clerk, and eventually as a talent scout at MCA Records, representing clients such as Joey Bishop, Jackson Browne, Jack Paar and Jane Morgan, whom he married. He then left MCA and found his own management company, Management III in 1965. Aside from representing clients, Weintraub organized concert tours for Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan , and The Beach Boys.
Weintraub then crossed over to the film industry as a producer, with the movie “Nashville” as his first film as producer in 1975. This was followed by a string of movies such as “Oh, God!” “September 30, 1955”, “All Night Long”, and “Diner”, which launched the careers of Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rourke, and Paul Reiser. Weintraub also produced “The Karate Kid” in 1984, which landed him an appointment as chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Artists division under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists (MGM/UA), which became short-lived due to differences with owner Kirk Kerkorian. Afterwards, he continued to produce the rest of “The Karate Kid” sequels. In 1987, he founded Weintraub Entertainment Group (WEG), backed by companies such as Cineplex Odeon and Columbia Pictures, which WEG signed a distribution deal with. Three years later, WEG filed for bankruptcy and was sued by Columbia Pictures for producing a movie for Warner Bros. Despite the company closing, Weintraub was able to produce several films, most notably the “Ocean’s Eleven” film series and Home Box Office’s (HBO) “Behind the Candelabra”. He was also the executive producer of HBO series “The Brink” and co-producer of TV documentary “Years of Living Dangerously”, which earned him an Emmy. In addition to being a producer, Weintraub was able to show off his acting chops in films “Vegas Vacation”, “The Firm”, and all “Ocean’s Eleven” series.
His work as producer garnered him Producer of the Year Award from the National Association of Theater Owners. He was also appointed as part of the Board of Trustees at the Kennedy Center as well as being given his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Strings, California.
Weintraub published his autobiography “When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man” in 2011. His life was also documented in the film “His Way”, shown on HBO the same year. As a philanthropist, he supported Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Music Center, and the Children’s Museum. In 1988, he and his wife were honored with the Scopus Award from the American Friends of the Hebrew University for their support.
Weintraub was first married Janice Greenberg whom he had a son with, named Michael. He then married singer Jane Morgan, 13 years his senior, in 1965. They adopted three daughters- Jody, Julie, and Jamie. They separated in the 1980s but never got divorced. He then had a relationship with Susan Ekins for 20 years up to his death. He died of cardiac arrest in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 77.
