Paul Marc Maslansky (November 23, 1933 – December 2, 2024) was an American film producer and writer best known for the ''

Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or to o ...

'' franchise.

Early life

Maslansky was born in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

, on November 23, 1933. He played jazz for a living while briefly attending law school in New York. He graduated from

Washington & Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, in 1954.

Career

Maslansky had 41 film credits as producer or executive producer. His first production credit was for 1964's '' Castle of the Living Dead'', which starred Christopher Lee. Initially, Maslansky used his middle initial in his credits, though this was later dropped. Maslansky worked throughout the 1960s and 1970s as producer, notable credits include '' Race with the Devil'', '' Damnation Alley'', '' The Villain'', and '' Love Child''. Maslansky was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for the 1978 series ''

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

''. Maslansky had a breakthrough hit with ''

'' in 1984. From a budget of $4.1 million, the film grossed $155 million and spawned a film franchise and television series '' Police Academy: The Series'', which Maslansky wrote. He frequently made cameo appearances in the ''

'' movies. Maslansky's notable credits following ''Police Academy'' include 1985's ''

Return to Oz ''Return to Oz'' is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by Walt Disney Pictures, co-written and directed by Walter Murch. It stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her first screen role. The film is ...

'', 1990's '' The Russia House'' and '' Fluke'' in 1995. The Lenfest Center for the Art's 'Maslansky Rehearsal Hall' in Lexington is named after him.

Death

Maslansky died in Los Robles, California, on December 2, 2024, at the age of 91.

Filmography

Maslansky was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

; As writer ; As an actor ; Production manager ; As director ; Second unit director or assistant director ; Miscellaneous crew

Television

; As writer ; As an actor

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maslansky, Paul 1933 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 20th-century American screenwriters American television writers Film producers from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Washington and Lee University alumni Writers from Queens, New York