Ilya Juan Salkind Domínguez (; born July 27, 1947), usually known as Ilya Salkind, is a
Mexican film and
television producer
A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...
, known for his contributions to three of the four live-action
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
films of the 1970s and 1980s alongside his father,
Alexander Salkind.
Early life and career
Ilya Juan Salkind Dominguez was born July 27, 1947, in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of Berta Domínguez, a Mexican novelist, and French producer
Alexander Salkind. At the age of one, Salkind was photographed sitting on the lap of
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor.
Gabor competed in the ...
. His grandfather, Mikhail Salkind, was a pioneer of silent films and produced ''
Joyless Street'' (1925), featuring then-relatively-unknown
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras.
Regarded as one of the g ...
in her first major role. Afterwards, Mikhail, along with Ilya's own father, Alexander, joined their forces to supervise many successful films, from
Abel Gance
Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...
's ''
Austerlitz'' (1960) to
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
' ''
The Trial'' (1962). Beginning in 1969, Ilya Salkind became the third generation of his film-making family. He and Alexander made numerous films, starting with the international box office hits ''
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...
'' (1973) and its 1974 follow-up, ''
The Four Musketeers'' films, the first instance of which a major motion picture and its immediate sequel were shot simultaneously. Salkind was of
Russian-Jewish descent.
''Superman'' film series
Ilya and Alexander, along with producing partner
Pierre Spengler, purchased the film rights to the
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
property in August 1974.
It was agreed that the Salkinds would produce and supervise filming on ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' and ''
Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David Newman (screenwriter), David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment i ...
'' simultaneously, as had been the case with ''
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...
'' and ''
The Four Musketeers''. Securing the film rights from
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
(a subsidiary of
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
) was an unbearable experience for the producers, as Spengler was forced to spend two weeks in meetings with DC executives for the specific purpose of establishing an "Integrity of the character" clause. However, the producers did make sure DC approved of every aspect of the film (including dialogue).
At this point in time
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
,
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
,
Al Pacino
Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...
,
James Caan
James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...
,
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
and
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...
were being considered for the leading role of Superman.
[
]William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
was approached to write the script, but chose not to do so, as Ilya Salkind had personally cited certain creative differences with Goldman. Eventually, Ilya would hire ''Godfather'' author Mario Puzo
Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter. He wrote crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' (1969), which h ...
.[ The desperate search for a director then took place. ]Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
expressed interest and Salkind felt comfortable in hiring him upon being impressed with his work on ''Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
'' and ''The Sugarland Express
''The Sugarland Express'' is a 1974 American crime comedy-drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film follows a woman ( Goldie Hawn) and her husband ( William Atherton) as they take a police officer ( Michael Sacks) hostage and flee acros ...
'', though his father was skeptical, feeling that Spielberg was not famous enough and claimed they needed to wait until " that fish movie of his" was released. ''Jaws'' was released with unanimous success, though by this time it was too late as Spielberg opted to do ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind
''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film, science fiction drama film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François ...
'' instead.[
]Peter Yates
Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer. He was known for making films in a wide variety of genres, including the Steve McQueen police thriller film '' Bullitt'' in 1968. He received nomin ...
was interested in directing, and was briefly involved in negotiations, though the deal collapsed. Both William Friedkin
William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in doc ...
and Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...
were also offered the chance to direct. Friedkin turned down the offer outright, while Peckinpah dropped out of the running when he produced a gun during a meeting with Salkind. Richard Lester
Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...
,[ ]Guy Hamilton
Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, son of ...
, George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
, John Guillermin
Yvon Jean Guillermin (11 November 192527 September 2015), known as John Guillermin, was an English film director, writer and producer. Working both in the United Kingdom and the United States, he was most active in big-budget, action-adventure f ...
and Ronald Neame
Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...
were then considered, though Lucas was dropped as Salkind found out he was too committed on '' Star Wars (1977)''. It was decided to go with Hamilton, in light of the fact that Salkind was impressed with Hamilton's work as director of, among other projects, '' Goldfinger'' and ''Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
''.[
Salkind originally recommended ]Mario Puzo
Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter. He wrote crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' (1969), which h ...
to write the script as a serious science fiction epic. Although Puzo did impress him with certain aspects, Salkind felt the script remained intact with being overall campy, as did Guy Hamilton
Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, son of ...
. In addition they cited too much " Greek tragedy and Shakespearean" elements. A fourth villain sentenced to the Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created b ...
named Zak-Ur appeared as a comedic henchman.[ By this time, Puzo felt he "could do all he could," turning in two drafts,][ and David Newman and Robert Benton were hired for rewrite work, as a means to delete objectionable material concerning an excessive number of comedic scenes. Leslie Newman was brought in once Benton left to direct '' The Late Show''.][
Casting started to take place, and Alexander Salkind wanted a famous actor in the role of ]Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
was once again highly considered though the idea was dropped. Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...
was offered the part, but he felt he was too famous and was not right for the role, as did Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...
. After the success of ''Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...
'', Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
lobbied hard for the role but was ignored. Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
was offered all three roles of Superman, Jor-El and Lex Luthor to his choosing though he did not accept any of them, for a salary of $4 million.[ ]Nick Nolte
Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...
and Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French W ...
would both turn it down.[ It was decided to focus on casting ]Jor-El
Jor-El is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in the Superman (comic strip), ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939.
Jor-El is Supe ...
and Lex Luthor
Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...
and save Superman for later. Hoffman was then offered the role of Luthor, and although he was interested, he turned it down. Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia'' would eventually be cast as Jor-El, causing Gene Hackman to be cast as Luthor as he wanted desperately to work with Brando. Impressed by the producers' ability to cast famous actors in respective roles, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
decided to distribute the film internationally, rather than simply domestically.[
Sets were then being initiated in ]Rome, Italy
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, as well as having flying tests experimented. Brando however, could not go to Rome as there was still a warrant out for his arrest due to the sexual obscenity of his role in ''Last Tango in Paris
''Last Tango in Paris'' (; ) is a 1972 Erotic film, erotic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film stars Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider (actor), Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud, and portrays a rec ...
''. It was decided to move the production to England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
but Hamilton himself was a tax exile from his native country, which only allowed him to spend 60 days or less a year.[ The director was forced to drop out because of Brando's actions and by this time six million dollars had already been spent on the production. Mark Robson was then in negotiations to direct after Salkind was impressed with his work on '']Earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
''. However, after viewing Richard Donner
Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American film director, producer and actor. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters", Donner directed some of the mo ...
's ''The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Sp ...
'', Donner was chosen.[
]
Post-Superman career
The Salkinds' last journey into film fantasy was 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
's '' Santa Claus: The Movie''. That same year, DC Comics named Salkind as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication '' Fifty Who Made DC Great'' for his work on the ''Superman'' film franchise.
The Salkinds returned to the Superman mythology again in 1988, this time as a TV series, with ''Superboy
Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...
'', starring John Haymes Newton in the title role during its first year, Gerard Christopher as the Boy of Steel for the remainder of the show's existence, and Stacy Haiduk as Lana Lang, lasted four seasons, running for 100 episodes. Following the team's last film, '' Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' (1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
), Ilya and his then-wife, Jane Chaplin (daughter of Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
) settled in Orlando, Florida, where much of the ''Superboy'' series had been filmed. There, Ilya and Jane took a sabbatical and devoted their time to raising their two sons. In 1999, the couple amicably separated.
Ilya Salkind Company
Returning to Los Angeles in 2003, the producer launched the Ilya Salkind Company in the late summer of that year. The company's first project, ''Young Alexander the Great'', was shot on location in Greece and Egypt, and was released direct-to-DVD in 2010 under the title ''Born to be Great''. The company had several major motion pictures slated for the coming years.
Superman retrospectives
On the DVD release of ''Superboy: The Complete First Season'' in 2006, Salkind appeared in the documentary featurette "Superboy: Getting Off the Ground" and provided audio commentary with series star John Haymes Newton on two episodes. He also appeared in the 2006 television documentary '' Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman'' talking about his time producing the Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
films. He also provided audio commentary along with producer Pierre Spengler for the 2006 DVD releases of ''Superman: The Movie (Four-Disc Collector's Edition)'', ''Superman II (Two-Disc Special Edition)'', and ''Superman III (Deluxe Edition)''.
Reported missing
Salkind, who was born in Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, traveled south of the border to handle a family property owned by his mother, who died a few years earlier. The 63-year-old was staying at his family's home in Tepoztlán. On February 2, 2011, Salkind's long-time companion Deborah Moore filed a missing persons report with Mexican authorities, Salkind having left his cell phone at his Mexico City estate on January 30, telling his staff that he was going to run errands, and not having been seen since. Family and friends became alarmed when he failed to show up for a dentist's appointment the following day. Investigators on February 3 located Salkind in a local hospital, where he was reported to be under sedation due to being assaulted.
Personal life
Salkind was married in 1976 to Skye Aubrey, with whom he has two children Anastasia and Sebastian. The couple divorced in 1979. He married Patricia Bonnet in 1980. The couple has one child. He later married Jane Chaplin. They have two sons together, and divorced in 1999. For the past twenty years he has lived with Deborah Moore. They have no children and are not married.
Filmography
Producer
References
Further reading
* "Ilya Salkind: The Super Producer Who Got ''Superman'' off the Ground" (Part one of three) article and interview by Anthony Petkovich, ''Filmfax'' magazine, summer 2013
number 134
(cover). Filmfax, Inc., Evanston, Illinois USA. Twelve pages (84-92, 102-104) with 38 personal and movie-related black-and-white photographs, mostly behind-the-scenes production stills from the various ''Superman'' films.
* "An Interview with Producer Ilya Salkind: From ''Superman'' to ''Supergirl'' to ''Superboy'' and Beyond" (Part two of three) article and interview by Anthony Petkovich, ''Filmfax'' magazine, fall 2013
number 135
(cover). Filmfax, Inc., Evanston, Illinois USA. Eight pages (92-99) with 36 personal and movie-related black-and-white photographs.
* "An Interview with Producer Ilya Salkind: From ''The Three Musketeers'' to ''Santa Claus'' and Beyond" (Part three of three) article and interview by Anthony Petkovich, ''Filmfax'' magazine, winter 2014
number 136
(cover). Filmfax, Inc., Evanston, Illinois USA. Eight pages (92-99) with 27 personal and movie-related black-and-white photographs. Total of parts 1-3: 28 pages Q & A, 101 photos from Salkind's personal collection, production stills, and studio advertising.
External links
The Ilya Salkind Company
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salkind, Ilya
1947 births
Living people
Mexican film producers
Mass media people from Mexico City
Mexican people of Russian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent