Stanley Richard Jaffe (; July 31, 1940March 10, 2025) was an American film producer. His producing credits included ''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...

'', '' The Accused'' and '' Kramer vs. Kramer'', which won an

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) 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 a ...

Background

Jaffe was born into a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, the son of film executive Leo Jaffe. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in economics from

the Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, in 1962.

Career

In 1962, Jaffe joined Seven Arts Associates, and in 1964, he was named executive assistant to the president of Seven Arts. After

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 ...

purchased Seven Arts in 1967, Jaffe left to join

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

for two years. After producing '' Goodbye Columbus'', Jaffe was appointed executive vice president and chief operations officer of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

in 1970, and within three months was named president. In 1971, he resigned to form an independent production company called Jaffilms, which was associated with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

. Jaffilms produced ''

Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

'' (1972) and ''

The Bad News Bears ''The Bad News Bears'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bear ...

'' (1976). In 1977, Jaffe became executive vice president of worldwide production at Columbia Pictures. Jaffe returned to independent production with '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' in 1979. In 1983, in collaboration with

Sherry Lansing Sherry Lansing (born Sherry Lee Duhl; July 31, 1944) is an American former film studio executive serving as chairwoman of Universal Music Group's board of directors since 2023. She previously served as chairwoman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, ...

(then president of

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

), he started the production company Jaffe-Lansing. In 1991, he was named president and chief operating officer of Paramount Communications, and dissolved his partnership with Lansing. In 1992, he was named successor to

Brandon Tartikoff Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was head of the entertainment division of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with several ...

as president of

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

. When Viacom purchased Paramount in 1994, Jaffe was forced out and filed a lawsuit against Paramount for $20 million in a stock option dispute. The case was dismissed by the court in 1995, and in 1995 Jaffe's company Jaffilms entered into a production agreement with

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

Veto of the Star Trek ''Enterprise'' complex in Las Vegas

In or around 1992, a consortium of developers and city officials proposed a replica of the Star Trek ''Enterprise'' in Las Vegas. The giant scale model of the ship would include restaurants and tours but no hotel or casino. The proposal was approved by the president of Paramount and only needed Jaffe's approval as Paramount CEO. However, Jaffe rejected the proposal, believing that if unsuccessful, the building would be a permanent reminder of failure.

Death

Jaffe died at his home in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is a low-density desert community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled along the foothil ...

, on March 10, 2025 at the age of 84.

Awards and nominations

1994 Stanley Cup The 1994 Stanley Cup Finals was the Stanley Cup Finals, championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1993–94 NHL season, 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern ...

, as president of Paramount, which owned the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

. * 1988 Academy Awards, nominated for

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for Best Picture, ''

'' (1987) * 1981 British Academy Film Awards, nominated for Best Film, '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) * 1980 Academy Awards, won

for Best Picture, ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) *1980, David di Donatello Awards, won David for Best Foreign Film ( Miglior Film Straniero), ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979)

Filmography

Jaffe served as the producer for all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

;As director

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffe, Stanley R. 1940 births 2025 deaths 20th Century Studios people 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American film studio executives American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York Film producers from New York (state) Golden Globe Award–winning producers Jewish American film people New York Rangers executives Paramount Pictures executives Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Stanley Cup champions Wharton School alumni