# Larry Brezner

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American film producer

**Lawrence Ira "Larry" Brezner** (August 23, 1942 – October 5, 2015) was an American film producer, most notable for producing films such as *[Good Morning, Vietnam](/source/Good_Morning%2C_Vietnam)*, *[Throw Momma from the Train](/source/Throw_Momma_from_the_Train)*, and *[Ride Along](/source/Ride_Along_(film))*.

## Life and career

Born in the [Bronx](/source/Bronx) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) in 1942,[1] Brezner studied at the [University of Bridgeport](/source/University_of_Bridgeport) and [St. John's University](/source/St._John's_University_(New_York_City)) from which he graduated with a master's in psychology. He then was a teacher at an elementary school at PS 47 in the Bronx before he moved on to the entertainment industry. In 1974, he opened a night club in Manhattan, where he met the producer [Jack Rollins](/source/Jack_Rollins_(producer)).[2] In the same year, he joined the company of Rollins & [Charles H. Joffe](/source/Charles_H._Joffe) with Buddy Morra and was their partner in the late 1970s. After Rollins and Joffe withdrew from the company, he, Buddy Morra, David Steinberg and [Stephen Tenenbaum](/source/Stephen_Tenenbaum) formed a new company, MBST Entertainment, Inc. (Morra Brezner Steinberg & Tenenbaum). His first wife was the singer [Melissa Manchester](/source/Melissa_Manchester); they met when she performed at his club, and Brezner managed her career during their seven-year marriage.[3] His second marriage to Bett Zimmerman also ended in divorce.[4]

From the mid-1980s, Brezner served as the executive producer for various comedy specials on US television. Brezner also managed the careers of artists such as [Billy Crystal](/source/Billy_Crystal), [Robin Williams](/source/Robin_Williams), [Martin Short](/source/Martin_Short), [Bette Midler](/source/Bette_Midler) and many other comedic talents.

In 1981, his first film project was the original Arthur, his first project as film producer in 1984 was *[Throw Momma from the Train](/source/Throw_Momma_from_the_Train)*. This was followed by *[Good Morning, Vietnam](/source/Good_Morning%2C_Vietnam)*, *[The 'Burbs](/source/The_'Burbs)*, and *[The Vanishing](/source/The_Vanishing_(1993_film))* "Krippendorf's Tribe", "The Greatest Game". In 2014, he produced the comedy *[Ride Along](/source/Ride_Along_(film))*. His final project, *[Ride Along 2](/source/Ride_Along_2)*, was released in January 2016.[5]

He died in [Duarte, California](/source/Duarte%2C_California) on October 5 2015, from leukemia, which was diagnosed a few months earlier. Brezner is survived by his third wife, Dominique Cohen-Brezner, and two daughters, Lauren Azbill and China Brezner.[6]

## Selected filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

### Film

Year Film Credit Notes 1981 Arthur Executive producer Uncredited 1987 Throw Momma from the Train Good Morning, Vietnam 1989 The 'Burbs 1990 Coupe de Ville 1992 Passed Away 1993 The Vanishing 1994 Angie Clifford 1998 Krippendorf's Tribe 2000 The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave Direct-to-video 2001 Freddy Got Fingered 2002 Sorority Boys 2004 The Last Shot 2005 The Greatest Game Ever Played 2011 Arthur 2014 Ride Along Final film as a producer 2016 Ride Along 2 Posthumous credit

**Thanks**

Year Film Role 1992 Crossing the Bridge Thanks

### Television

Year Title Credit Notes 1980 Good Time Harry Executive producer 1981 The Acorn People Executive producer Television film 1982 The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour Executive producer 1984 Billy Crystal: A Comic's Line Executive producer Television special 1985 Martin Short: Concert for the North Americas Executive producer Television special 1986 Robin Williams: Live at the Met Executive producer Television special The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion Executive producer Television special But Seriously, Folks Executive producer Television short 1987 On Location: Women of the Night Executive producer Television special The 11th Annual Young Comedians Executive producer Television special 1988 The 12th Annual Young Comedians Special Executive producer Television special 1990 Good Grief Executive producer 2008 Little Britain USA Executive producer

**Thanks**

Year Title Role Notes 2002 Robin Williams Live on Broadway Special thanks Television special 2009 Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Steve Chawkins: [*Larry Brezner dies at 73; movie producer and manager of top comic actors.*](http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-larry-brezner-20151010-story.html) In: [Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times), 10. October 2015

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Leading Hollywood Management Firm Joins CKX"](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/containers/fix071/793044/000110465905034260/a05-13666_1ex99d1.htm). Securities and Exchange Commission. 27 July 2005.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Larry Brezner, Veteran Manager and Producer, Dies at 73"](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/larry-brezner-dead-manager-producer-830109). *[The Hollywood Reporter](/source/The_Hollywood_Reporter)*. 6 October 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Margalit Fox: [*Larry Brezner, Hollywood Manager of Star Comics, Is Dead at 73.*](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/movies/larry-brezner-hollywood-manager-of-star-comics-is-dead-at-73.html) In: [The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times), 11 October 2015

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Kroll, Justin (13 March 2014). ["'Ride Along 2′ to Bow on Martin Luther King Weekend 2016"](https://variety.com/2014/film/news/ride-along-2-to-bow-on-martin-luther-king-weekend-2016-1201132334/). *variety.com*. Retrieved 14 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Larry Brezner, Longtime Manager and Producer, Dies at 73"](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/larry-brezner-dead-robin-williams-billy-crystal-1201612119/). 7 October 2015.

## External links

- [Larry Brezner](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108368/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Larry Brezner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brezner) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brezner?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.