Oscar-nominated producer Lawrence Turman dies at 96

Lawrence Turman, the Hollywood producer who transformed The Graduate from a little-known novel into a major hit, has passed away at the age of 96, as confirmed by his family.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Turman died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles.

Over the course of 50 years, the Los Angeles native produced more than 40 films, but his greatest success came with the 1967 classic The Graduate, which featured Dustin Hoffman and the late Anne Bancroft in its lead roles.

“When I first read the novel of The Graduate, it was unsuccessful. It had sold fewer than 2,000 copies. Fifty-five years ago, I responded to it viscerally and emotionally,” Truman told Little White Lies.

Turman also remarked that he was “famous after The Graduate for about 20 minutes” emphasizing that producers are not as well known as writers, actors, and directors.

As the producer of The Graduate, Turman received a Best Picture nomination at the 40th Academy Awards in April 1968.

However, the award ultimately went to In The Heat Of The Night, which was produced by Walter Mirisch. Meanwhile, Mike Nichols won the Best Director Oscar for his work on The Graduate.

Turman had a prolific producing career, with credits including The Young Doctors (1961), The Great White Hope (1970), Short Circuit (1986), Booty Call (1997), American History X (1998), and The Thing (2011).