Bert Schneider

Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933 – December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer.

He was responsible for several topical films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the road film Easy Rider (1969), directed by Dennis Hopper.

Early life and education Schneider was born to a wealthy Jewish family in New York City and raised in New Rochelle, New York.

His brother, Harold Schneider, also became a film producer.

Career In 1953, he worked for Screen Gems, Columbia's television division in Los Angeles. Monkees fans were disappointed that the disjointed, stream-of-consciousness ring of stories was not just an expanded episode. Art film enthusiasts may have embraced its creativity but were not interested in a film by the "pre-fab four."

Academy Award controversy In 1975, Schneider received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for producing Hearts and Minds (1974), a documentary film about the Vietnam War, directed by Peter Davis. His acceptance speech was one of the most politically controversial in the ceremony's history. Schneider's speech included this statement: "It’s ironic that we’re here at a time just before Vietnam is about to be liberated." He then read a telegram from the head of the North Vietnamese delegation to the Paris peace talks. It thanked the antiwar movement "for all they have done on behalf of peace. Greetings of friendship to all American people." After receiving thousands of angry telegrams backstage, Frank Sinatra appeared later in the show to read a disclaimer that disavowed Schneider's statement, which in turn provoked angry responses from actors Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty. Beatty later berated Sinatra on stage, calling him "you old Republican."

Personal life In 1954, he married his first wife, Judy Feinberg (born 1936), who was also Jewish and from a wealthy family.

Between 1971 and 1974 Schneider had a relationship with Candice Bergen. Bergen wrote about their relationship in her first memoir, 'Knock Wood', referring to Schneider under the pseudonym "Robin".

Death In 2011, Schneider died of natural causes, aged 78, in Los Angeles, California.

In popular culture Peter Fonda based his character Terry Valentine in the crime film The Limey (1999) partly on Schneider, according to Fonda's interview on the film's DVD.

The Big Cigar, a 2024 biographical drama thriller miniseries developed by Jim Hecht, based on the 2012 Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman, follows Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton escaping the FBI to Cuba with the help of Schneider. Schneider is portrayed by Alessandro Nivola.

Television work

Year Title Genre Notes 1966–1968 The Monkees television situation comedy

Filmography

Year Title Genre Notes 1968 Head 1969 Easy Rider road film producer 1970 Five Easy Pieces drama film 1971 The Last Picture Show drama film 1971 Drive, He Said drama film 1971 A Safe Place drama film 1972 The King of Marvin Gardens drama film 1974 Hearts and Minds documentary film 1977 Tracks drama film 1978 Days of Heaven drama film 1981 Broken English drama film