Longtime Power Broker Brillstein Dies

By Josef Adalian

Legendary Hollywood power broker Bernie Brillstein, an old-school talent manager who helped package landmark series ranging from “Saturday Night Live” and “Hee-Haw” to “Alf” and “The Muppet Show,” died Thursday night in Los Angeles. He was 77.

Mr. Brillstein’s death was due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the Associated Press reported.

After starting his career in the storied William Morris Agency’s mailroom, Mr. Brillstein would go on to manage, at various points in their careers, Lorne Michaels, Jim Henson, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Brad Pitt and Sylvester Stallone.

As a producer, he was behind series including “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” and “Alf.”

After partnering with Brad Grey in 1991 to form Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Mr. Brillstein was involved in the production of several other long-running shows, including “Just Shoot Me,” “The Steve Harvey Show,” “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher” and “The Sopranos.”

Born April 26, 1931, in New York, Mr. Brillstein’s showbiz career was boosted by a family connection: His uncle, Jack Pearl, was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies. After graduating from New York University, he landed a gig at the Morris mailroom in 1955, staying there for nine years. He left in 1964 and, in 1967, moved to Los Angeles to open a West Coast office for Management III.

Once in Los Angeles, Mr. Brillstein recognized the potential for success in representing television stars and began putting together TV packages, according to a biography of Mr. Brillstein posted on the WMA Web site. By 1969, he was ready to launch the Brillstein Co.

His first major package was “Hee-Haw.” He then helped modernize TV comedy, first by representing Mr. Michaels and many of the early stars of “Saturday Night Live.” He worked closely with Mr. Henson to launch the groundbreaking “Muppet Show.” Mr. Henson’s puppet creations were exposed to a non-kiddie audience on the first episode of “SNL” in 1975.

Mr. Brillstein took on an executive role in 1986, working as CEO of Lorimar Entertainment. During his two-year run there, he produced movies such as “Action Jackson” and “Dangerous Liaisons.” As a manager, he also produced blockbuster features such as “Ghostbusters” and “The Blues Brothers.”

After working with protege Brad Grey for several years, Mr. Brillstein and Mr. Grey became equal partners in 1991, creating one of the more powerful independent management and production companies of the decade. The duo produced numerous hit comedy series, including “Just Shoot Me,” “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Newsradio,” as well as several successful feature films and, of course, “The Sopranos.”

By 1996, Mr. Grey had taken over day-to-day control of Brillstein-Grey, though Mr. Brillstein remained involved with the company. By 2005, Mr. Grey—now head of Paramount Pictures—also had divested himself from BGE, which now operates as Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Mr. Brillstein in recent years focused his attention on writing, penning three Hollywood-themed books: “Where Did I Go Right?,” “The Little Stuff Matters Most” and “It’s All Lies, and That’s the Truth.”

In “Where Did I Go Right,” Mr. Brillstein said he hoped his tombstone would read, “Bernie Brillstein: From ‘Hee-Haw’ to ‘Dangerous Liaisons.’”

Mr. Brillstein, who was married several times, is survived by his wife, Carrie; sons Michael Brillstein, David Koskoff and Nick Koskoff; daughters Kate Brillstein and Leigh Brillstein; and a grandson, Alden.