Edward L. Rissien

Edward Louis Rissien (October 20, 1924 – April 8, 2023) was an American production company executive and producer.

Biography Rissien was born in Des Moines, Iowa on October 20, 1924. His parents were Russian Ukrainian immigrants who had settled there. In the 1940s, he attended Grinnell College in Iowa and then served in the Army Air Force. After the war he went to Stanford graduating in 1949 in Political Science. followed by production assignments at Screen Gems at Columbia Pictures. In 1959 he established Harry Belafonte's film production company, HarBel Productions, where he acquired the film rights to Odds Against Tomorrow. From there he went to ABC, where he was program supervisor on shows such as Combat and The Donna Reed Show. In the early 1960s, he was hired as VP of production for Bing Crosby Productions, producer of such shows as Hogan's Heroes, Ben Casey, The Bing Crosby Show and others. After that he went to Filmways as VP of Production for film and television. before joining Playboy Productions in 1972 as an executive VP of production. While at Playboy, he produced two feature films, Saint Jack, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder directed by Arthur Hiller. He remained at Playboy Productions for 16 years, eventually becoming president overseeing television movies, specials and pilots.

Death Rissien died at his home in Los Angeles on April 8, 2023, at the age of 98.

Career affiliations Motion Picture Academy Television Academy Producers Guild