Martin Starger, ABC Entertainment’s first president and producer of films such as Sophie’s Choice and Robert Altman’s Nashville, has died.
Starger passed away from natural causes on Saturday at his Los Angeles home, as confirmed by his niece, casting director Ilene Starger, to Variety. He was 92.
Starger was born on May 8, 1932, in the Bronx, New York. He pursued his education at the City College of New York, where he earned a degree in motion picture techniques.
In 1953, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the Signal Corps Motion Picture Location. Serving as a motion picture photographer at the Army’s film production studio, he was later stationed at U.S. Army Headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii. There, he immersed himself in all aspects of film production, writing, directing, photographing, and editing documentaries and feature films for television, the Department of Defense, and newsreels.
Following his service, Starger dedicated several years to the ABC television network. From 1969 to 1972, he served as Vice President of Programs and then made history as the first President of ABC Entertainment, holding the position from 1972 to 1975.
During his leadership, the network launched notable ventures such as the “Movie of the Week” franchise, the groundbreaking miniseries Roots and Rich Man, Poor Man, as well as fan-favorite sitcoms like Happy Days.
Martin Starger Expands From TV to Film and the Stage
Starger later broadened his career to include films and also theater. During his tenure at ABC, he championed Nashville (1975) as an executive producer, collaborating with Jerry Weintraub, who initially pitched the project to him.
Martin Starger later partnered with British legend Lew Grade at Marble Arch Productions, where they produced the Cher-starring Mask (1985). He then launched his own company, Marstar Productions. At Marstar, he produced or executive produced notable telefilms such as Friendly Fire, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Merchant of Venice, The Elephant Man, and Escape From Sobibor.
Starger’s impressive filmography as a producer or executive producer features notable titles such as On Golden Pond, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and Autumn Sonata.
He broke into Broadway by co-producing the 1976-78 comedy Sly Fox, written by Larry Gelbart. Starger later produced Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, which premiered in 1981.
He earned Tony nominations in 1987 and 1989 for producing the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Starlight Express and the comedy Lend Me a Tenor.