Ted Hartley, film and stage actor and former CEO and Chairman of RKO Pictures, has died.
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The longtime Hamptons resident passed away on Oct. 10 in New York City, according to the East Hampton Star. Hartley was 100.
Hartley and his wife, Dina Merrill, famously merged their company, Pavilion Communications, with RKO Pictures Corporation in 1991.
Born in 1924, Hartley began his career as a Navy officer and fighter pilot. In the 1960s, he became a Hollywood actor, playing Reverend Jerry Bedford in the ABC soap opera Peyton Place and starring in the police helicopter show Chopper One.
He also appeared in films like High Plains Drifter, starring Clint Eastwood, Barefoot in the Park, and Caddyshack II.
According to IMDb, Hartley’s most recent acting role was in 2012’s A Late Quartet, alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken.
Ted Hartley Spearheaded Several High-Profile Projects at the Revamped RKO
Hartley joined Pavilion Communications in 1987. Four years later, his company acquired 51% of RKO, known for films like Citizen Kane and King Kong during its classic era. He then served as RKO’s Chairman and CEO.
The revamped RKO produced films like the Mighty Joe Young remake for Disney, Ritual for Miramax, and the noir thriller Shade in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Hartley also produced Broadway musicals, including Never Gonna Dance, Curtains, Gypsy, and 13, as well as Top Hat, which won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2013. Curtains received two Tony Award nominations.
Hartley sold RKO Pictures to Concord Originals this year, as Deadline revealed in June. Concord received rights to over 5,000 RKO titles, covering remakes, sequels, stories, stage adaptations, and copyrights. RKO now operates as an imprint under Concord Originals. Hartley remains lead producer and chief storyteller for several projects, and serves as Chairman Emeritus.
The Star reported he was the longest-tenured member of the Metropolitan Club in Washington, and also belonged to the New York Yacht Club, River Club, Chevy Chase Club, and Bel-Air Country Club.
He married Dina Merrill in 1989, and they remained together until her death in 2017. He is survived by his son, Philippe.