US comedy mogul dies
Brillstein helped forge Saturday Night Live
Bernie Brillstein, one of the most influential managers and producers in American comedy, has died at the age of 77.Brillstein had been suffering from complications stemming from double-bypass heart surgery in February and died Thursday night of chronic pulmonary disease.
He was a vital mover in creating Saturday Night Live in 1975, as he was representing the mastermind behind the show, Lorne Michaels. He successfully pitched the idea to the NBC network and ensured his clients John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner were in the team. He was also an executive producer on The Blues Brothers movie, a spin-off from SNL, at Belushi’s insistence.
In the Eighties, Brillstein’s company started directly producing TV comedies for their stars, too, with shows such as It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Just Shoot Me, NewsRadio, and The Larry Sanders Show. The company was also behind The Sopranos.
And on the big screen, they produced Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore and Jim Carrey's The Cable Guy among others.
Published: 9 Aug 2008
