Steven Spielberg honors the late Marvin Levy, his longtime Oscar-winning publicist and advisor

Steven Spielberg is paying tribute to his longtime publicist and advisor Marvin Levy, the lone selling nonrecreational to gain an Oscar for his work. Levy died Monday astatine property 96.

“Marvin’s passing is simply a immense nonaccomplishment for maine and our manufacture writ large,” Spielberg said successful a connection obtained by The Times. “There are galore talented PR executives, but Marvin was 1 of a kind.”

The “Munich” manager said Levy was “a profoundly loyal and exceptional collaborator” who was enthusiastic astir his enactment and respected and appreciated by each who worked with him. The 2 started moving unneurotic connected the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Levy was vice president of advertising, publicity and promotions astatine Columbia Pictures but soon near Columbia for Amblin Entertainment and, later, Dreamworks.

“When it came to handling the press, helium had nary peer. To the media - and the satellite of exhibition, Marvin was the look of Amblin,” Spielberg said. “We were other ends of the movie-making process. Every clip I reached the extremity of accumulation connected a film, Marvin’s enactment had lone begun.

“Through countless films, TV series, Amblin events, awards campaigns and our nationalist relations strategy — this is wherever Marvin came alive.”

Levy was calved Nov. 6, 1928, successful New York City, wherever helium aboriginal attended NYU. After participating successful the ROTC program, helium spent 2 years successful the Air Force, wherever helium started his enactment successful communications. At Michigan’s Selfridge Air Force Base — renamed the Selfridge Air National Guard Base successful 1971 — helium handled nationalist relations and advertising.

He joined his wife, Carol, successful his aboriginal 20s and was inactive joined to the pistillate helium called “the emotion of my life” 73 years later. The mates would person 2 sons, Don and Doug, and aboriginal 2 grandsons, Daniel and Brian.

Levy got into amusement successful New York successful the 1940s, moving connected crippled shows and pioneering speech shows, past astatine MGM’s New York publicity bureau and astatine movie PR bureau Blowitz Thomas and Canton. His adjacent gig was astatine Cinema Releasing, a occupation that brought him to the West Coast. Eventually, helium coiled up astatine Columbia Pictures, and soon capable the remainder was history. Levy would decorativeness retired his vocation moving with Spielberg et al., retiring successful 2024.

“He was creative, innovative and respected for his cognition and honesty,” Spielberg said. “He was excited to fig caller and amended ways to contiguous films to audiences. As a result, helium was the archetypal and lone publicist to person an Academy Award.”

That grant came successful November 2018 astatine the movie academy’s Governors Awards.

“This Oscar has been the astir astonishing and breathtaking grant I tin imagine,” Levy said successful his acceptance speech. “We’ve had 3 presidents astatine the academy ... from our ain nationalist relations branch, but this is the archetypal clip the academy has considered 1 of america for this award. So that makes it the astir humbling grant too.”

He besides mentioned Spielberg successful that speech, saying, “He’s ever treated maine similar a storyteller, and we are each storytellers successful the nationalist relations branch. Because the beingness we physique astir our films and our TV isn’t conscionable astir the communicative being told, but it’s astir making definite the communicative lasts.”

Levy led promotional and awards campaigns for movies directed by Spielberg — who credited the publicist for overmuch of their occurrence — including “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” to sanction a few. He besides worked connected the “Back to the Future” franchise, “Ben-Hur,” “Taxi Driver,” “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “Men successful Black,” “Shrek,” “Gladiator” and galore much influential films.

Levy served connected the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 23 years and was president of the academy’s PR subdivision for overmuch of that time. He supported the USC Shoah Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation and Starlight Children’s Foundation.

“I americium grateful for each our years together,” Spielberg said. “Marvin ne'er failed to marque maine laugh, helium ne'er stopped smiling. We volition miss you Marvin. You volition ever beryllium successful our hearts and your representation volition ever marque america smile.”

Levy is survived by his wife, sons and grandsons. A ceremonial volition beryllium held astatine 10 a.m. Friday astatine Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills.