Hawk Koch

Howard Winchel Koch Jr. (born December 14, 1945), also known as Hawk Koch, is an American film producer. A former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America, he was involved in the production of over 60 major films, including Rosemary's Baby, The Way We Were (1973), Chinatown (1974), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Gorky Park (1983), Wayne's World (1992) and its 1993 sequel, Primal Fear (1996), Collateral Damage (2002), Fracture (2007), and Source Code (2011). He is currently a board member for AMC Entertainment, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Koch is a former road manager for the musical groups The Supremes and The Dave Clark Five. In 2019, he published his memoir, Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood.

Early life and education Koch was born on December 14, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Ruth (née Pincus), who is of Russian Jewish background, He was raised in a Secular Jewish family. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1963, and later attended University of California, Los Angeles, before dropping out during his freshman year. as a road manager for visiting American acts. Koch returned from London to manage The Dave Clark Five's 1964 United States tour. After his time in the music business, Hawk Koch turned to filmmaking in Hollywood, working as assistant director for a number of directors and later as a producer.

Koch has been intimately involved with the making of more than 60 major motion pictures, including Chinatown, Heaven Can Wait, Marathon Man, The Way We Were, Primal Fear, Wayne's World, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Rosemary's Baby. His colleagues and collaborators have included Sidney Pollack, Roman Polanski, John Schlesinger, Francis Ford Coppola, and Warren Beatty. Hawk has worked with Natalie Wood, Laurence Olivier, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand, Anthony Hopkins, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane, Edward Norton, and Halle Berry.

At the Producers Guild of America (PGA), Koch and co-president Mark Gordon led the fight to preserve the producer's credit and secured all the major film studios and major independent film studios to agree to uphold the Producer's Mark (p.g.a.). In 2010, Koch and Gordon were the first pair of co-presidents to be elected by the PGA membership. The duo was re-elected in 2012.

On July 31, 2012, Koch was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making Hawk and his father the only father-son pair to lead the Academy in its history. On August 1, 2012, Koch took leave from his post at the PGA in order to assume the Academy's presidency, later rejoining Mark Gordon as PGA co-president in August 2013. During his tenure at the Academy, Koch spearheaded several initiatives including a call for diversity, launching the first general membership meeting in its history, sharpening the focus on member engagement and the future of filmmaking, implementing the Academy's digital voting system, and securing major fundraising for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Koch has given one-on-one talks with Francis Coppola, Tom Cruise, and Jake Gyllenhaal at the annual Produced by Conference, and he has been a featured speaker at the Sarajevo Film Festival, the South Dakota Film Festival, and the Beijing International Film Festival. He delivered the 2013 commencement address at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, and was a featured speaker at the 2019 Renaissance Weekend.

Koch is a vocal advocate for diversity and representation in film and television as well as diversity within the entertainment industry's professional guilds and organizations. As of 2020, Koch serves on the board of directors for AMC Entertainment, Cast and Crew, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Producers Guild of America, and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Personal life Koch dated Sondra Locke after the collapse of her relationship with Clint Eastwood. He is currently married to Jungian analyst and writer He was previously married to Rita Litter, mother of his children Billy Koch and Emily Anne Koch; to Marcia Zukor (now married to Ken Ziffren), mother of Robby Koch. He also previously dated actress Joanna Pacuła in 1983 after casting her in Gorky Park.

Filmography He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film Year Film Credit 1975 The Drowning Pool Associate producer 1977 The Other Side of Midnight Executive producer 1978 Heaven Can Wait Executive producer 1979 The Frisco Kid Executive producer 1980 The Idolmaker 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway 1983 A Night in Heaven The Keep Gorky Park 1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village 1989 Rooftops 1990 The Long Walk Home 1991 Necessary Roughness Executive producer 1992 Wayne's World Executive producer 1993 The Temp Executive producer Sliver Executive producer Wayne's World 2 Executive producer 1995 Losing Isaiah Virtuosity Executive producer 1996 Primal Fear Executive producer 1997 The Beautician and the Beast 2000 Keeping the Faith Frequency 2002 Collateral Damage Executive producer 2005 Hostage Executive producer 2007 Blood & Chocolate Fracture Executive producer 2008 Untraceable 2010 Norman 2011 Source Code Executive producer 2013 Very Good Girls Executive producer

Second unit director or assistant director

Year Film Role Notes 1969 Pendulum Second assistant director Uncredited Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice 1970 Getting Straight Assistant director WUSA Uncredited The Baby Maker 1971 The Hired Hand Fools' Parade Something Big Going Home 1972 Bad Company Up the Sandbox First assistant director 1973 The Way We Were Assistant director 1974 The Parallax View First assistant director Chinatown Assistant director 1975 Once Is Not Enough The Drowning Pool 1976 Marathon Man 1978 Heaven Can Wait

Miscellaneous crew

Year Film Role Notes 1966 Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter Assistant to producer Uncredited Billy the Kid Versus Dracula Assistant to the producer 1968 Project X Dialogue coach Uncredited The Odd Couple Rosemary's Baby

Production manager

Year Film Role 1975 Once Is Not Enough Production manager 2005 Hostage Unit production manager 2007 Fracture 2008 Untraceable

As an actor

Year Film Role Notes Other notes 1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice El Taco Employee Voice role Uncredited 2000 Keeping the Faith Rabbinical Professor

Thanks

Year Film Role 2019 Above Suspicion Special thanks

Television Year Title Credit Notes 2004 The Riverman Executive producer Television film 2013 Christmas in Conway Executive producer Television film

Miscellaneous crew

Year Title Role Notes 1973 Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra Stage manager Television special 2013 85th Academy Awards President: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Television special

Production manager

Year Title Role 1969 Then Came Bronson Production manager