Mark Damon
American film actor and producer (1933–2024)
title: "Mark Damon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1933-births", "2024-deaths", "american-expatriates-in-italy", "american-male-film-actors", "film-producers-from-illinois", "male-actors-from-chicago", "male-spaghetti-western-actors", "new-star-of-the-year-(actor)-golden-globe-winners", "american-people-of-jewish-descent", "jewish-american-actors"] description: "American film actor and producer (1933–2024)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Damon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American film actor and producer (1933–2024) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mark Damon |
| image | Mark Damon, CEO, Foresight Unlimited.jpg |
| caption | Damon in 2015 |
| birth_name | Alan Harris |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| resting_place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S. |
| alma_mater | UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA) |
| occupation | Actor, producer |
| yearsactive | 1956–2024 |
| spouse | {{unbulleted list |
| {{marriage | Barbara Frey |
| children | 2 |
| :: |
| name = Mark Damon | image = Mark Damon, CEO, Foresight Unlimited.jpg | caption = Damon in 2015 | birth_name = Alan Harris | birth_date = | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | resting_place = Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S. | alma_mater = UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA) | occupation = Actor, producer | yearsactive = 1956–2024 | spouse = {{unbulleted list | | | children = 2
Mark Damon (born Alan Harris; April 22, 1933 – May 12, 2024) was an American film producer and actor. In 1960, he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for his performance in Roger Corman's House of Usher, and later moved to Italy to work in Spaghetti Westerns. He was a member of the 1960s Dolce Vita set of actors and actresses in Rome. During the early 1970's he switched to producing films, founding the production companies Producers Sales Organization, Vision International, MDP Worldwide and Foresight Unlimited.
Early life
Mark Damon, the son of a grocer, was born Alan Harris in Chicago. His family was Jewish and their surname was originally "Herscovitz". Damon moved to Los Angeles at a young age where he attended Fairfax High School.
As a senior in high school, Damon was scouted as an actor by comedian Groucho Marx, but chose to attend dental school at UCLA. He switched to the Anderson School of Management, eventually graduating with an MBA and a BA in English. Damon also began taking theater classes and decided to pursue a career in acting.
Career
Actor
In 1956, Damon started his career in Hollywood, signing a contract with 20th Century Fox. In 1960, Damon won a Golden Globe Award as a "Star of Tomorrow" for his performance in the film House of Usher. He would later relocate to Italy to work in Spaghetti Westerns.
Producer
In the mid-1970s Damon left acting to become a film producer. He entered the world of independent sales and production while in Italy after meeting independent international distributors interested in popular American movies.
Upon returning to the U.S. in 1977, he founded Producers Sales Organization (PSO), which sold American pictures to international distributors, becoming the first such company to compete with the major studios. Damon's subsequent success with PSO led to his reputation as the inventor of the foreign sales business. After PSO ran into financial problems and was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1986, Damon started Vision Productions (formerly Vision Producers and Distribution Group) with Peter Guber and Jon Peters.
In 1987, Vision International grew into Vision p.d.g. Vision International formed a pact with Epic Productions, where they assumed international responsibilities for the studio.
In 1993, after a period of legal battling with Credit Lyonnais over the company's control of Epic, Damon started MDP Worldwide (aka Mark Damon Productions), which in 1998 was sold to Behaviour Communications, a Canadian company. In 2003, MDP Worldwide was renamed Media 8 Entertainment to expand their theatrical activity and their products. Damon resigned in 2004.
Damon's productions have grossed over $2 billion in theatrical box office worldwide and have garnered 10 Oscar nominations. He has been involved in the international licensing of over 300 feature length pictures, including Never Say Never Again starring Sean Connery, Prizzi's Honor with Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston, Once Upon A Time In America with Robert De Niro and James Woods, The Cotton Club with Richard Gere, and The Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas. Damon was a founding member of the American Film Marketing Association (now IFTA) and is a recurring board member of the IFTA.
In 2005, Damon founded the film production and sales company Foresight Unlimited. Foresight handled the international sales for the Rob Reiner comedy And So It Goes, served as executive producer of Universal Studios' 2 Guns starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, and Universal's Lone Survivor, also starring Mark Wahlberg. The company was sold to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment in 2019. In 2019, DCR Finance Group launched a $100 million film fund to produce their film organization, with Damon serving as managing partner.
Personal life and death
Damon died of natural causes in Los Angeles in 2024, at the age of 91, with his wife, actress Margaret Markov, and two children by his side. He was a cousin to composer Danny Elfman.
Filmography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Last Full Measure | Producer | |
| 2018 | The Hurricane Heist | Producer | |
| 2017 | Blind | Executive Producer | Starring Alec Baldwin |
| 2014 | And So It Goes | Producer | Starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton |
| 2013 | Lone Survivor | Executive Producer | Starring Mark Wahlberg |
| 2013 | 2 Guns | Executive Producer | Starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg |
| 2012 | Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | Executive Producer | Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren |
| 2011 | Flypaper | Producer | Starring Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd |
| 2011 | The Ledge | Producer | Starring Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, and Terrence Howard |
| 2009 | Universal Soldier: Regeneration | Executive Producer | Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren |
| 2009 | It's Alive | Executive Producer | |
| 2009 | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt | Producer | Starring Michael Douglas |
| 2007 | Captivity | Producer | |
| 2006 | O Jerusalem | Producer | |
| 2005 | The Upside of Anger | Executive Producer | Starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen |
| 2004 | Beyond The Sea | Executive Producer | Starring Kevin Spacey |
| 2004 | The I Inside | Producer | |
| 2003 | Monster | Producer | Starring Charlize Theron |
| Academy Award for Best Actress | |||
| Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature | |||
| 2003 | 11:14 | Executive Producer | |
| 2003 | The United States of Leland | Executive Producer | Starring Don Cheadle |
| 2002 | Extreme Ops | Executive Producer | |
| 2002 | FeardotCom | Executive Producer | |
| 2001 | The Musketeer | Executive Producer | |
| 2001 | The Body | Executive Producer | |
| 2000 | Love & Sex | Executive Producer | |
| 1999 | Eye of the Beholder | Executive Producer | Starring Ewan McGregor |
| 1999 | A Dog of Flanders | Executive Producer | |
| 1997 | Deceiver | Wayland's Father | |
| Executive Producer | |||
| 1997 | The Blackout | Executive Producer | |
| 1997 | The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo | Executive Producer | |
| 1996 | The Winner | Executive Producer | |
| 1994 | The Jungle Book | Executive Producer | |
| 1993 | Stalingrad | Executive Producer | |
| 1991 | Diary of a Hitman | Executive Producer | |
| 1990 | Vietnam, Texas | Executive Producer | |
| 1989 | Wild Orchid | Producer | Starring Mickey Rourke |
| 1988 | High Spirits | Executive Producer | |
| 1988 | Bat*21 | Co-Producer | |
| 1988 | Mac and Me | Executive Producer | |
| 1987 | The Lost Boys | Executive Producer | |
| 1986 | Flight of the Navigator | Executive Producer | |
| 1986 | Short Circuit | Executive Producer | |
| 1986 | 8 Million Ways to Die | Executive Producer | Starring Jeff Bridges |
| 1986 | 9½ Weeks | Producer | Starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger |
| Directed by Adrian Lyne | |||
| 1986 | The Clan of the Cave Bear | Executive Producer | |
| 1984 | Metropolis | Sales Agent | |
| 1984 | The NeverEnding Story | Executive Producer | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen |
| 1981 | Das Boot | Executive Producer | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen |
| Nominated for Six Academy Awards | |||
| 1977 | The Choirboys | Executive Producer | |
| 1974 | There Is No 13 | George Thomas | |
| 1974 | The Arena | Producer | Starred Damon's future wife Margaret Markov |
| 1973 | Crypt of the Living Dead | Peter | |
| 1973 | The Devil's Wedding Night | Karl Schiller | |
| 1973 | Little Mother | Riano | |
| 1972 | Byleth: The Demon of Incest | Duke Lionello Shandwell | {{cite book |
| 1972 | Great Treasure Hunt | Kansas Lee | |
| 1972 | I leoni di Pietroburgo | Eldar | |
| 1972 | Confessioni segrete di un convento di clausura | Domenico | |
| 1972 | They Call Him Veritas | Veritas | |
| 1971 | Long Live Robin Hood | Allen | |
| 1971 | Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman | Ivanhoe | |
| 1971 | Pistol Packin' Preacher | Slim | |
| 1968 | Dead Men Don't Count | Johnny Dalton | |
| 1968 | Anzio | Wally Richardson | Directed by Edward Dmytryk |
| 1968 | All Out | Johnny | |
| 1968 | The Young, the Evil and the Savage | Richard Barrett | |
| 1968 | Train for Durango | Brown | |
| 1967 | Golden Chameleon | Vittorio | |
| 1967 | No Killing Without Dollars | Laurence | |
| 1967 | Requiescant | George Ferguson | Also starring Pier Paolo Pasolini |
| 1966 | Johnny Yuma | Johnny Yuma | |
| 1966 | Ringo and His Golden Pistol | Johnny Oro/Ringo | aka Johnny Oro, directed by Sergio Corbucci |
| 1966 | Dio, Come Ti Amo! | Luis | Also starring Gigliola Cinquetti, 2 times the Festival of San Remo winner. |
| 1965 | Secret Agent 777 | Dr. Bardin | |
| 1964 | Son of Cleopatra | El Kebir | |
| 1964 | 100 Horsemen | Don Fernando Herrera y Menendez | |
| 1963 | The Tyrant of Castile | Peter I: King of Castile | |
| 1963 | Black Sabbath | Vladimire d'Urfe | Also starring Boris Karloff |
| Directed by Mario Bava | |||
| 1963 | The Shortest Day | Un ufficiale austriaco | Directed by Sergio Corbucci |
| 1963 | The Young Racers | Stephen Children | Directed by Roger Corman |
| 1962 | The Reluctant Saint | Aldo | Directed by Edward Dmytryk |
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Private Harris | Also starring Richard Burton and Sean Connery, Uncredited |
| 1962 | Beauty and the Beast | Eduardo | |
| 1962 | Peccati d'estate | Dr. Gianni Orgei | |
| 1960 | House of Usher | Philip Winthrop | Won Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer |
| Also starring Vincent Price | |||
| Directed by Roger Corman | |||
| Screenplay by Richard Matheson | |||
| 1960 | This Rebel Breed | Frank Serano | |
| 1958 | The Party Crashers | Twig Webster | |
| 1958 | Life Begins at 17 | Russ Lippincott | |
| 1957 | Young and Dangerous | Tommy Price | |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Ray Clements | Season 1 Episode 22: "Place of Shadows" |
| 1956 | Between Heaven and Hell | Private Terry, Company G | |
| 1956 | Screaming Eagles | Private Lambert | |
| 1956 | Inside Detroit | Gregg Linden | |
| :: |
References
References
- (2024-05-13). "Mark Damon, Veteran International Sales Executive and Actor, Dies at 91".
- [https://archive.org/details/moneywoodhollywo0000stad/page/105 Moneywood : Hollywood in its last age of excess ]
- Schreyer, Linda and Mark Damon. (2008). "From Cowboy To Mogul To Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon". AuthorHouse.
- Schreyer and Damon, ''From Cowboy'', 42-43.
- Anderson, Susan Heller. (May 25, 1980). "He Sells Hollywood to Europe". The New York Times.
- "Mark Damon – IMDb".
- (2024-05-18). "Mark Damon, B-movie heartthrob, spaghetti Western cowboy and later indie movie mogul – obituary". The Telegraph.
- Natale, Richard. (October 22, 1984). "It takes the right accent to sell U.S. films abroad". Los Angeles Herald Examiner.
- Paris, Ellen. (February 27, 1984). "Ronald Reagan is not the only actor who made good". Forbes.
- Abrams, Rachel. (May 20, 2013). "Foresight CEO Mark Damon Looks Back at Cannes". Variety.
- (1987-05-13). "Damon Unveils 9 Pix For Hi-Concept And Mainstream Lineups". [[Variety (magazine).
- (1991-05-06). "Epic Prods. Aligns With Vision For Global Film Distribution".
- (1993-06-08). "Vision head Damon has new firm".
- (1994-02-22). "Dispute over, Damon moves forward with full slate".
- (2000-05-31). "Behaviour changes moniker to MDP".
- Dunkley, Cathy. (2003-10-10). "MDP changes name, focus".
- (2004-10-15). "Damon late of Media 8".
- "Mark Damon – CEO".
- Barnes, Mike. (2024-05-13). "Mark Damon, Actor Turned Indie Film Exec and 'Monster' Producer, Dies at 91".
- (November 5, 2019). "Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Acquires Mark Damon's Foresight Unlimited {{!}} Hollywood Reporter".
- Hipes, Patrick. (2019-04-30). "DCR Finance Corp Launches $100M Film Fund, With 'The Last Full Measure' First On Its List".
- (12 May 2024). "Mark Damon, film sales pioneer, and former leading man, died on the eve off Cannes aged 91". Screen Daily.
- Barnes, Mike. (2024-05-13). "Mark Damon, Actor Turned Indie Film Exec and 'Monster' Producer, Dies at 91".
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DGgM3c6um3R/
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