Walter Mirisch, famed ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’ producer, dies at 101

American producer Walter Mirisch, known for West Side Story Or Some like it hotdied at the age of 101, the Academy of Oscars announced on Sunday February 26.

The Oscar winner, whose career spanned six decades and who was also a former president of the Academy, died Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Los Angeles, the organization said in a statement. The Academy was ” deeply saddened to learn of Walter’s passing“, CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in the statement, welcoming a “ true visionary“.” He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy (…) His passion for film and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and adviser“, they added.

A prolific producer

Walter Mirisch, born in New York on November 8, 1921, has been honored three times by the Academy. He received the Oscar for Best Picture for In the heat of the Night (1967), the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for the ” high and consistent quality of its film production” as well as the Jean-Hersholt Humanitarian Prize. For the Academy, Walter Mirisch was ” one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood history“.

His production company, Mirisch Company, created in 1957 with his brothers Harold and Marvin, is behind several cult films such as Some like it hot (1959), The Magnificent Seven (1960), West Side Story (1961), The great Escape (1963), The pink Panther (1963) or even The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). His wife Patricia died in 2005, and he leaves behind his three children, a grandson and two great-grandsons.