HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATRE TO DIM MARQUEE LIGHTS
IN HONOR OF JAMES M. NEDERLANDER
HOLLYWOOD LANDMARK THEATRE DIMMING LIGHTS ON
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3RD AT 7:45PM PT
Tuesday, August 2, 2016 -- Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Pantages Theatre and the Broadway community mourn the loss of Chairman of the Nederlander Organization, theatre owner/operator, producer and presenter James M. Nederlander, who passed away on July 25 at age 94. Hollywood Pantages Theatre will honor the Broadway tradition of dimming the marquee lights and iconic neon blade on
Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at 7:45pm PT.
Always a driving force in the continuing renaissance of Hollywood, Jimmy knew the value of the Hollywood brand long before it was fashionable. He was focused on attracting families, businesses (large and small) and working to create a comfortable and safe neighborhood to work, live and play. In 2000, Jimmy oversaw the $10 million renovation of the Hollywood Pantages, restoring it to its original luster in time for the highly-anticipated L.A. Premiere of Disney's THE LION KING. Jimmy has been, and always will be a symbol of what was great about entertainment of yesteryear, and today.
During a career that spans 70 years, he has amassed a network of premier legitimate theatres including nine on Broadway: the Brooks Atkinson, Gershwin, Lunt-Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Nederlander, Neil Simon, Richard Rodgers, and the world-renowned Palace; in Chicago: The PrivateBank Theatre, Broadway Playhouse, Cadillac Palace and Oriental Theatre; in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Pantages Theatre; and in London, the Adelphi, Aldwych, and Dominion Theatres.
He has produced over one hundred of the most acclaimed Broadway musicals and plays including Annie, Applause, La Cage aux Folles, Me and My Girl, Nine, Noises Off, Peter Pan, Sweet Charity, The Will Rogers Follies, Woman of the Year, and many more.
Mr. Nederlander's name is forever linked to some of the world's most distinguished performing companies whose work he produced and presented on Broadway including the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed productions of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Cyrano and Sherlock Holmes; Rudolf Nureyev and Friends, The Bolshoi Ballet, and the Virsky's Ukranian State Dance Company.
He is credited with developing the outdoor amphitheater concept as the developer of several premier venues including the New Jersey Garden State Arts Center, Pine Knob Music Theatre, the Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Pacific Amphitheatre, and as the decades-long operator of the Greek Theatre where he has presented headline artists including Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Jackie Mason, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, and a legion of others.
In 1972, Mr. Nederlander and his pals Earl Blackwell, Gerard Oestricher and Arnold Weissberg founded the Theatre Hall of Fame, which is still housed in the lobby of the Gershwin Theatre. In 1973, he partnered with George Steinbrenner to purchase the New York Yankee Baseball Club.
Mr. Nederlander is the recipient of many distinguished honors including the United Nations Foundation Champion Award (2012), The Broadway League's Schoenfeld Vision for Arts Education Award (2010), the New York Pop's Man of the Year (2008), the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2004), The Actors' Fund Medal of Honor (2002), The Broadway League's Distinguished Lifetime Service Award (2002), United Jewish Appeal-New York Federations' Bernard B. Jacobs Excellence in the Theatre Award (1997) and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located outside the Hollywood Pantages Theatre at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. In 2009, the National High School Musical Theatre Award was established and named the Jimmy to celebrate his career-long dedication to supporting young talent.
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at the forty-third Commencement exercises at The University of Connecticut School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine and Graduate School on Monday, May 12, 2014.
Mr. Nederlander is survived by his wife Charlene S. Nederlander, his son James L. Nederlander and daughter-in-law Margo M. Nederlander, his grandchildren James M. Nederlander II and Kathleen M. Nederlander, his stepdaughter Kristina Gustafson and her children Gunnar Gustafson and Krisanna Gustafson.