Kenneth Utt (July 13, 1921 – January 19, 1994), was an American film producer and
unit production manager. He received the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categor ...
for producing ''
The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991).
Life and career
Utt was born in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...
, on July 13, 1921. He graduated from Elon College (now
Elon University
Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctorate ...
) in Elon, N.C. in 1942. He received a scholarship to
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most ...
where he studied vocals in hopes of becoming an opera singer. Utt served in the Army Air Forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He returned home and became a stage and radio actor, appearing in shows like ''
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
''.
Utt began working in production on stage performances of ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
'', the lesser known 1950
Broadway version with music by
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
.
''Peter Pan'' (1950 version), music by Leonard Bernstein
at IBDB He then became a film line producer for films like ''Midnight Cowboy
''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable small ...
'' (1969), '' The French Connection'' (1971), '' The Seven-Ups'' (1973) and '' All That Jazz'' (1979). Utt was a producer and unit production manager on four Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film '' Caged Heat'', befo ...
films: '' Something Wild'' (1986), '' Married to the Mob'' (1988), '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) and ''Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
'' (1993), with ''Lambs'' and ''Philadelphia'' earning awards at the Oscars. Utt was among the three producers who received Best Picture for ''Lambs'', in which he also made a cameo appearance.
Death
Utt died on January 19, 1994, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
at the age of 72. The cause was bone cancer. He is survived by his wife Angie, son Tim Utt, and daughter Robin Utt Fajardo.
Filmography
''He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.''
Film
;Production manager
;As an actor
;Miscellaneous crew
;Location management
;Thanks
Television
;Production manager
;As an actor
;Miscellaneous crew
;Thanks
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Utt, Kenneth
1921 births
1994 deaths
American film producers
Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award
Deaths from bone cancer
Actors from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Juilliard School alumni
American male stage actors
American male radio actors
Male actors from North Carolina
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American businesspeople
Unit production managers