Robert Chartoff

1933–2015 · American film producer and philanthropist

Biography

Robert Chartoff (born August 26, 1933, New York City; died June 10, 2015, Santa Monica, California) was an American film producer and philanthropist. His name is most closely tied to the Rocky series and to a run of films made during the 1970s and 1980s.

Chartoff graduated from Union College in 1955 and went on to study at Columbia University. For much of his career he worked alongside fellow producer Irwin Winkler. Together they produced more than thirty films, including Rocky, which won them the Academy Award for Best Picture, and several of its sequels. They were also involved in titles such as Raging Bull and New York, New York, which differ considerably in tone.

In 1990 he founded the RC Charitable Foundation, where he served as president, awarding grants to international schools and child welfare agencies. His legacy rests largely on the long life of the Rocky franchise and on a commercially ambitious body of work. He died at his home in Santa Monica in 2015 from pancreatic cancer.

Key films

Rocky (1976), which won Chartoff and Winkler the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Raging Bull (1980), a sports drama that drew wide attention in its day.
New York, New York (1977), a musical directed by Martin Scorsese.
Point Blank (1967), a hard-edged thriller.
Rocky II (1979), the first sequel in the series.