Warren Cowan (March 13, 1921 – May 14, 2008) was an American film industry

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...

. He co-founded the public relations company

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 fo ...

in 1954 and founded his own company, Cowan & Associates, in 1994. He was described as "one of Hollywood’s most powerful and innovative publicists" at the time of his death.Bruce Weber
"Warren Cowan, a Star at Promoting Stars, Dies at 87"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', May 16, 2008.Dennis McLellan
"Warren Cowan, 1921 - 2008: Legendary Hollywood press agent"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', May 16, 2008.

Early life

He was born to 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 York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the son of songwriter Rubey Cowan and Grace Cowan. He had one older brother, Stanley, who was also a songwriter. He attended

Townsend Harris High School Townsend Harris High School (THHS; often also shortened to Townsend Harris or simply Townsend) is a public high school for the humanities in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the campus of Queens College, a public college p ...

, a school for boys on the educational fast track. While attending the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, Cowan majored in journalism and represented actress

Linda Darnell Linda Darnell (born Monetta Eloyse Darnell; October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965) was an American actress. Darnell progressed from modelling as a child to acting in theatre and film. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in ...

. Cowan served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for three years.

Career

In 1946, Cowan joined the firm established by Henry C. Rogers. In 1950, he became a partner in the firm, which then changed its name to Rogers & Cowan. He was named president in 1964. Rogers & Cowan became one of the largest entertainment public relations firm in the world handling not only entertainers but also high-tech manufacturers, athletes, publishers, movie studios and trade unions. Whenever he was asked to name his favourite client, Cowan's constant answer was always "the next one." In 1950, Cowan staged the first celebrity charity-fundraiser, a golf tournament on behalf of motion picture director

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage ( né Borzaga; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Awards, Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director for his film ''7th Heaven ...

. Rogers was the first agent to actively solicit public support for his client's nomination for an

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 ...

, starting with

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

's performance in 1945's '' Mildred Pierce''; she won Best Actress. In 1997, Cowan personally introduced Italian actor

Roberto Benigni Roberto Remigio Benigni ( , ; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing, and starring in the Holocaust comedy drama film ''Life Is Beautifu ...

to his already famous American peers, all of them Cowan clients and Academy voters, on behalf of

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

. Benigni and his picture, ''

Life Is Beautiful ''Life Is Beautiful'' (, ) is a 1997 Italian period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employs his imagin ...

'', won three Oscars that year. In 1988, Rogers & Cowan company was sold to Shandwick Plc., an English conglomerate. "It was the right move to make in some respects, but I found that I was doing too much that was administrative and too little that was creative," Cowan said. Cowan remained as chairman until 1992. In 1994,after a two-year non-competitive period, he launched a new company, Warren Cowan & Associates.

Personal life

Cowan had five marriages, four of which ended in divorce, including two to actress

Barbara Rush Barbara Rush (January 4, 1927 – March 31, 2024) was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. In 1954, she won the Golden Globe Award for most promising female newcomer for her role in the 1953 American science-fiction film ''It ...

. He and his first wife, entertainment columnist Ronnie Cowan (1926-1997), had two daughters, Bonnie and Linda. Linda was killed by a drunk driver in 1989. He had one child with his second wife

, Fox News Channel reporter Claudia Cowan. His third wife was French actress Josette Banzet.Ocala Star-Banner: "Actress Takes Her Work Home" by Dick Kleiner
February 29, 1976 His fourth marriage was to Barbara Gilbert-Cowan, daughter of comedy writer Harry Crane, to whom he remained married until his death. She is the mother of actors

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest-starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ing ...

Sara Gilbert Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on ''Roseanne'' (1988–97; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and its sequel, ''The Co ...

, and Jonathan Gilbert. He had eight grandchildren. He died on May 14, 2008, of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at his home in Los Angeles. He is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.

References

External links

The Times - Obituary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowan, Warren 1921 births 2008 deaths University of California, Los Angeles alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Queens, New York Mass media people from Los Angeles American public relations people United States Army Air Forces soldiers Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Townsend Harris High School alumni Jewish American military personnel American entertainment industry businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews