Irving Asher (September 1903 – March 1985) was an American film producer. Born in San Francisco in September 1903, he began his film production career in Hollywood in 1919. After joining the staff of

Warner Brothers 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 ...

he was sent over to England as the managing director of their subsidiary Teddington Studios in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

in the mid-1930s (where he is credited for discovering and seeing the potential of

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

when he was a young unknown actor who was hanging around Teddington Studios at the time looking for a way into the movies). Flynn played his first significant part as the lead in the now-lost '' Murder at Monte Carlo'' (1935), which was produced by Asher. Asher went on to join

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

's London Film Productions where he worked on the epic '' The Four Feathers'' (1939). Subsequently, he returned to Hollywood to work as a producer for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, where he earned his only

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for the 1941 Greer Garson film '' Blossoms in the Dust''. Later in his career, he was head of production for

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

. He married the actress Laura La Plante in 1934. His son is

Tony Asher Anthony D. Asher (born May 2, 1939) is an American songwriter and advertising copywriter who is best known for his collaborations with Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and Roger Nichols (songwriter), Roger Nichols in the 1960s. Asher co-wrote eig ...

. Asher died in California in March 1985.'Los Angeles Times' obituary, March 23, 1985.

Partial filmography

* '' Don't Be a Dummy'' (1932) * '' Help Yourself'' (1932) * '' Blind Spot'' (1932) * '' Her Night Out'' (1932) * '' Illegal'' (1932) * '' A Voice Said Goodnight '' (1932) * ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

'' (1932) * '' Mayfair Girl'' (1933) * '' Beware of Women'' (1933) * '' Double Wedding'' (1933) * ''

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel ...

'' (1933) * '' Smithy'' (1933) * '' This Acting Business'' (1933) * '' The Stolen Necklace'' (1933) * ''

As Good as New "As Good as New" is a song recorded in 1979 by Swedish group ABBA, and was used as the opening track on their ''Voulez-Vous'' album. The lead vocals are by Agnetha Fältskog. The song was released as a single in Mexico as a double A-side with "I ...

'' (1933) * '' Little Fella'' (1933) * '' Head of the Family'' (1933) * '' Mr. Quincey of Monte Carlo'' (1933) * '' Going Straight'' (1933) * '' Too Many Wives'' (1933) * '' Little Miss Nobody'' (1933) * '' The Melody-Maker'' (1933) * '' Enemy of the Police'' (1933) * '' Call Me Mame'' (1933) * ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

'' (1934) * '' What Happened to Harkness?'' (1934) * '' Murder at the Inn'' (1934) * '' The Church Mouse'' (1934) * '' A Glimpse of Paradise'' (1934) * '' Nine Forty-Five'' (1934) * '' The Office Wife'' (1934) * '' Leave It to Blanche'' (1934) * '' Father and Son'' (1934) * '' The Life of the Party'' (1934) * '' No Escape'' (1934) * '' What's in a Name?'' (1934) * '' Trouble in Store'' (1934) - short * '' The Black Mask'' (1935) * '' Murder at Monte Carlo'' (1935) * '' Man of the Moment'' (1935) * '' Widow's Might'' (1935 film) * '' Hello, Sweetheart'' (1935) * '' Fair Exchange'' (1936) * '' It's in the Bag'' (1936) * '' Head Office'' (1936) * '' Irish for Luck'' (1936) * '' Gaol Break'' (1936) * '' Faithful'' (1936) * '' Change for a Sovereign '' (1937) * '' Ship's Concert'' (1937) * ''

Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

'' (1937) * '' Mayfair Melody'' (1937) * '' It's in the Blood'' (1938) * '' Double or Quits'' (1938)

References

External links

* 1903 births 1985 deaths Film producers from California 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-film-producer-stub