Hollywood film producer Daniel Goldberg, known for such movies as Space Jam, Old School, and the Hangover trilogy, has died at the age of 74.
Goldberg's brother Harris Goldberg, the screenwriter of Deuce Bigalow, informed the Hollywood Reporter of his brother's passing.
The news of Goldberg's passing has also been confirmed to Deadline by filmmaker Jason Reitman. Reitman is the son of the late Ivan Reitman, who is known for having directed Stripes and Meatballs. Reitman and Goldberg were longtime acquaintances and colleagues.
At the time of this writing, no information has been provided about the cause of Goldberg's passing other than that it occurred on Wednesday - July 12, 2023 - in Los Angeles, California.
Throughout his career, Goldberg frequently collaborated with both Ivan Reitman and Todd Phillips. Goldberg and Reitman first met up in the 1960s at McMaster University, and their partnership would last decades.
Goldberg, who was from Hamilton, Ontario, followed Reitman to Los Angeles around 1970. And, that's when their collaboration really took off. They would write films, produce films, and direct films together.
Some of these films include The House by the Lake (1976), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Heavy Metal (1981), Feds, Junior (1994), Space Jam (1996), Private Parts (1997), Commandments (1997), Fathers’ Day (1997), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Road Trip (2000), Evolution (2001), Killing Me Softly (2002), Old School (2003), and EuroTrip (2004).
Goldberg had even more success with Phillips, particularly with the Hangover trilogy. There, the films were produced by Goldberg and directed by Phillips. This series ended up being Godlberg's biggest film success, bringing in $469 million, $587 million, and $362 million, respectively.
Away from the big screen, on the small screen, Goldberg received an Emmy nomination for outstanding made-for-television movie for the 1996 HBO telepic The Late Shift. Goldberg also produced two animated television series, Beethoven and Extreme Ghostbusters.
Following the news of Goldberg's passing friends, colleagues, and others have taken to social media to offer tributes to and remembrances of the deceased Goldberg.
Perhaps the most touching statement has come from Goldberg's brother Harris Goldberg.
“He was a gentle, lovely guy, he was my hero,” Harris Goldberg said. “He was everything I measured myself against.”
Goldberg is survived by his wife, Ilona Herzberg. Herzberg, a native of British Columbia, is a film producer in her own right, having produced such films as The River Wild, Evan Almighty, Waterworld, Rachel Getting Married, and Feds.
Goldberg is also survived by his sisters, Kathy Hogg and Amy Goldberg, and his brother, Harris Goldberg.
