Martin Starger, producer of ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ ‘Mask,’ ‘Nashville,’ dead at 92

LOS ANGELES — Martin Starger, the first president of ABC Entertainment who produced the films “Sophie’s Choice,” “Nashville” and “Mask,” died Friday. He was 92.

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Starger died of natural causes on Friday at his home in Los Angeles, his niece, New York-based casting director Ilene Starger, said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“He was a brilliant, elegant, remarkable man and had wonderful taste in projects,” she said. “On a highly personal level, he was like a father to me, given that his older brother, my father, died very suddenly when I was a teenager.”

Starger was born May 8, 1932, in the New York City borough of the Bronx, Variety reported. He graduated from the City College of New York, where he received a degree in motion picture techniques.

After serving in the military, Starger became vice president of programs at ABC from 1972 and was the first person named as president of ABC Entertainment, the entertainment news website reported.

During his tenure, ABC developed series like “Happy Days,” miniseries such as “Roots” and “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and the “Movie of the Week” franchise, according to Deadline.

Starger was the executive producer of the 1975 film Nashville, Variety reported. He was also an executive producer for television movies, with credits including s “Friendly Fire,” “Escape From Sobibor,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Elephant Man.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Starger was an executive producer on the films “Movie Movie” (1978), “The Muppet Movie” (1979), “The Great Muppet Caper” (1981), “On Golden Pond” (1981) and “The Last Unicorn” (1982).

Starger also was a producer on Broadway, working on “Sly Fox,” “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Starlight Express,” and the original production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Deadline reported.

He was nominated for a Tony Award for “Starlight Express” in 1987 and “Lend Me a Tenor” in 1989, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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