Jay Bernstein (June 7, 1937 – April 30, 2006) was an American producer and manager to actors, such as

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

and Michael Landon, and to actresses, such as

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...

and

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (née Mahoney; born October 16, 1946) is an American actress, author, singer, businesswoman, and health spokesperson. She appeared in the television role of Chrissy Snow on '' Three's Company'' and as Carol Foster Lambert on ...

Career

Born in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, Oklahoma, Bernstein moved to California after graduating from

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it beca ...

. He worked in the mail room of the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...

before working for

Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan is a global marketing and public relations agency. A division of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), the company is based in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Miami, and London. History Rogers & Cowan was foun ...

, the industry's largest PR company, founded by Henry C. Rogers and Warren Cowan. Bernstein founded his own agency in 1962 and later produced the television series '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', '' Mike Hammer'', and '' Houston Knights''. He also produced several television movies and the film ''Nothing Personal'' (1980) starring

. In 2005, Bernstein had obtained the rights from the City of Los Angeles to produce a brand new prime time TV series entitled ''Public Defender'', based on the true criminal cases from the Los Angeles Public Defender's office from years past.

Personal life

Bernstein also discovered the 21-year-old

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an model-turned-actress and entrepreneur Simona Fusco.

Death

On Sunday, April 30, 2006, Bernstein died at age 68 after suffering a stroke. He was survived by his only child, Amber Bernstein.

Additional information

* "Jay Bernstein, Starmaker", of

E! True Hollywood Story ''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E! that pulls back the curtain and highlights some of pop culture's most fascinating people, moments and trends. The series offers exclusive interviews with new insigh ...

2000 TV Episode

References

External links

Official site
* 1937 births 2006 deaths American entertainment industry businesspeople Film producers from California American public relations people Television producers from California Businesspeople from Oklahoma City Pomona College alumni Film producers from Oklahoma 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-entertainer-stub