Brad Grey, Former Paramount CEO, Dead at 59
Former Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey has died from cancer at age 59. Grey served as the head of Paramount for the past 12 years, stepping down just this past February. He died with his family by his side at his home in Holmby Hills, California.
Prior to joining Paramount, Grey co-founded management and production company Brillstein-Grey Entertainment with Bernie Brillstein. At BGE, he executive produced shows including “The Sopranos” and “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Grey also co-founded Plan B with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston before the couple split and Pitt took control of the company, Deadline reported. Grey left Plan B for Paramount shortly before production began on Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” which won for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Plan B had a first look deal with Paramount for several years before leaving to partner with New Regency and eventually Annapurna.
Grey was instrumental in both reviving the “Mission: Impossible” franchise and arranging a wide-ranging distribution deal with Marvel. During his time at Paramount, when the studio still operated the specialty division Paramount Vantage, Grey oversaw the production of films including “An Inconvenient Truth,” the Transformers and Paranormal Activity franchises, “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Babel,” “Shutter Island,” “The Fighter” and “True Grit.”
Born in the Bronx, Grey began his career as an assistant to Harvey Weinstein, who at the time was promoting rock concerts.
“From the moment I came to Paramount in 2005, I saw myself as a steward of an iconic institution. I never could have dreamed that privilege would last more than 12 years,” Grey wrote in a staff memo upon exiting. “It has been my privilege to be a part of Paramount’s storied history, and I am grateful to Sumner Redstone for giving me this opportunity.”
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Festivals newsletter here.
