Fred Roos
American film producer (1934–2024)
title: "Fred Roos" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1934-births", "2024-deaths", "film-people-from-santa-monica,-california", "film-producers-from-california", "producers-who-won-the-best-picture-academy-award", "hollywood-high-school-alumni", "university-of-california,-los-angeles-alumni"] description: "American film producer (1934–2024)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Roos" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American film producer (1934–2024) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Fred Roos |
| image | Fred Roos at the CFC Annual BBQ Fundraiser 2014 (15004607308).jpg |
| alt | Roos in 2014 |
| caption | Roos in 2014 |
| birthname | Frederick Ried Roos |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| occupation | Film producer, casting director |
| yearsactive | 1964–2024 |
| :: |
|name = Fred Roos |image = Fred Roos at the CFC Annual BBQ Fundraiser 2014 (15004607308).jpg |alt = Roos in 2014 |caption = Roos in 2014 |birthname = Frederick Ried Roos |birth_date = |birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |occupation = Film producer, casting director |yearsactive = 1964–2024
Frederick Ried Roos (May 22, 1934 – May 18, 2024) was an American film producer and casting director. He was best known for his contributions to the New Hollywood movement, particularly through his collaborations with director Francis Ford Coppola. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture for The Godfather: Part II (1974), with further nominations for The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
Early life
Frederick Ried Roos was born on May 22, 1934, in Santa Monica, California, the son of Florence Mary (née Stout) and Victor Otto Roos. He attended Hollywood High School and subsequently attended University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in theatre arts and motion pictures.
He served two tours in the United States Army, stationed in South Korea, where he befriended future producer/director Garry Marshall.
Career
Following his exit from the military, Roos started his career in the entertainment industry with talent agency MCA Inc., where he performed a series of odd jobs, including serving as driver to Marilyn Monroe, before being promoted to junior agent He began his career as a casting director for television, working on The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and I Spy. In 1964, he produced and cast his first film, Fight to Fury, featuring a young Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles.
Building a career as a casting director throughout the 1960s into the early 1970s, Roos gained a reputation as "the best eye for talent in the business", being responsible for the casting of Al Pacino in The Godfather, Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss in American Graffiti, Ford and Carrie Fisher in Star Wars, and Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze in The Outsiders, among many others.
Further credits as casting director included Five Easy Pieces, Fat City, Petulia, and Zabriskie Point.
Roos' professional relationship with Francis Ford Coppola began with The Godfather, for which Roos served as casting director. Roos became Coppola's producing partner on his subsequent film, The Conversation, and continued to produce Coppola's films throughout the remainder of his career, including The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, and The Godfather Part III.
Roos' other producing credits included The Black Stallion, Hammett, Barfly, The Secret Garden, Radioland Murders, The Virgin Suicides, and Town & Country.
Accolades
Roos won the Academy Award for Best Picture for The Godfather Part II, and was further nominated for producing The Conversation and Apocalypse Now.
In 1988, Roos received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Casting Society of America.
In 2007, he was a member of the jury at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival.
Personal life
Roos married Nancy Drew in 1986. They had one son, Alexander "Sandy" Roos, who later became Roos' producing partner.
Roos died in Beverly Hills, California, on May 18, 2024, four days shy of his 90th birthday. His final film, Megalopolis, held its world premiere two days prior at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
As producer (including co-producer and executive producer)
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Awards | 1974 | The Conversation | Academy Award for Best Picture (nominated) | The Godfather Part II | Academy Award for Best Picture | 1979 | Apocalypse Now | Academy Award for Best Picture (nominated) | The Black Stallion | 1982 | One from the Heart | 1983 | The Outsiders | Rumble Fish | 1984 | The Cotton Club | 1987 | Barfly | 1990 | The Godfather Part III | Academy Award for Best Picture (nominated) | 1994 | Radioland Murders | 1999 | The Virgin Suicides | 2003 | Lost in Translation | Academy Award for Best Picture (nominated) | 2006 | Marie Antoinette | 2012 | The Story of Luke | 2014 | St. Vincent | 2018 | Benched | 2019 | I'll Find You | 2022 | 5-25-77 | 2023 | Wonderwell | 2024 | Megalopolis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
As casting director
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | 1970 | Five Easy Pieces | 1971 | Two-Lane Blacktop | 1972 | The Godfather | The King of Marvin Gardens | 1973 | American Graffiti | 2024 | Megalopolis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
References
References
- Saperstein, Pat. (May 21, 2024). "Fred Roos, Oscar-Winning Producer of 'Godfather Part II' and Casting Director of 'The Godfather,' 'Megalopolis,' Dies at 89".
- [http://www.filmreference.com/film/66/Fred-Roos.html Film Reference]
- (2019). "I Used To Be Charming". New York Review of Books.
- (2010-08-27). "The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia". Scarecrow Press.
- Risen, Clay. (2024-05-24). "Fred Roos, Casting Director and Coppola Collaborator, Dies at 89". The New York Times.
- Koseluk, Chris. (2024-05-21). "Fred Roos, Casting Director Turned Oscar-Winning Producer on 'The Godfather Part II,' Dies at 89".
- Saperstein, Pat. (2024-05-21). "Fred Roos, Oscar-Winning Producer of 'Godfather Part II' and Casting Director of 'The Godfather,' 'Megalopolis,' Dies at 89".
- "29th Moscow International Film Festival (2007)". MIFF.
- "FRED ROOS".
- Press, LINDSEY BAHR Associated. (2024-05-21). "Fred Roos, 'Godfather Part II' producer and longtime Coppola collaborator, dies at 89".
- Sciences, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and. "Fred Roos, Oscar-Winning Producer of 'The Godfather Part II,' Dies at 89".
- (2024-05-21). "Fred Roos Dies: Oscar-Winning 'Godfather Part II' Producer & Longtime Coppola Collaborator Was 89".
- (May 16, 2024). "''Megalopolis'' Debuts at Cannes with 7-Minute Standing Ovation".
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