Elliott Kozak dies at 80

Elliott Kozak, Bob Hope's producer in excess of 3 decades who also offered sometimes as his agent and manager, died This summer 23 of complications after recent surgery in Tarzana, Calif. He was 80. Although he criss-entered backwards and forwards between work with Hope as well as for various talent agencies throughout his 65-year career, he was known mainly in the market because the "go-to" person for anything Hope-related. Brooklyn-born Kozak started his career in 1945 at 15 in the William Morris Agency mailroom in New You are able to. Within 3 years he grew to become a complete-time agent within the TV variety department, booking "The Milton Berle Show" and "The Ray Bolger Show," amongst others. At some point throughout his time at WMA, Kozak did a big favor for Colonel Tom Parker and also got a youthful Elvis an audition on "Arthur Murray's Talent Scouts," but Elvis and also the band were rapidly declined. In 1959, on the tip from Berle, Kozak found that Hope's longtime agent, Jimmy Saphier, was searching for anyone to help book Hope's NBC special offers, so he left for that West Coast to start an amount be a decades-lengthy on-and-off relationship with Hope. In 1969, Kozak came back to William Morris for any three-year stint within the TV variety department in La, assisting to shepherd a youthful Michael Ovitz, in addition to Kozak's assistant, future mega-manager George Shapiro. Within the TV packaging department, Kozak packed "Laugh-In" and reserved "The Merv Griffin Show," among other shows. In 1972, Kozak came back for you to again, this time around joining up with Saphier, and grew to become Hope's primary agent after Saphier's dying in 1974. Kozak was soon creating Hope's many NBC special offers, matching his looks and running his production office.In 1979, Kozak was hired to operate ICM's TV variety department, that he attracted a range of A-list producers and company directors, including Gary Cruz & Dwight Hemion and Steve Binder. But his high-crowning achievement was a wedding anniversary reveal that Motown's Suzanne p Passe introduced him in 1982 which he offered to NBC like a two-hour special and ICM package. "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" won an Emmy for the best TV special, plus an NAACP Image Award along with a Peabody Award, and grew to become among the greatest-ranked shows in television history.Following a Motown project, Hope requested Kozak to come back for which could be his last run using the comedian by which he ongoing his prior responsibilities, serving also as his manager. In 1991, Kozak opened up up a West Coast office for Nashville's Buddy Lee Points of interest, where he'd remain through the the nineteen nineties. He was semi-upon the market from 2000 and spent the final decade of his existence booking personal looks.Kozak is made it by his wife, Marie, an old executive secretary for General Artists Corp. (now ICM) sons Steven, clearance coordinator at "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and Robert kids Julie, wardrobe supervisor on "Extra," and Louise and 10 grandchildren. A memorial service is going to be held Sunday, August. 7, at 2 p.m. in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in the Movie & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hillsides, Calif. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com