Marcel Broekman


Marcel Broekman was a Dutch-born American filmmaker, cinematographer and palmist.

Work

Marcel Broekman was a co-producer of the cult hit "Amityville Horror" in partnership with Ronald Saland and Howard Kuperman through their Manhattan‐based business called Professional Film Services. His filmography includes featurettes and documentaries about the making of movies from 1962-1980, including over 41 feature films.
Broekman was a palmist featured on CBC's "Beyond Reason", a television quiz show seen throughout Canada from 1977 to 1980. Programs featured a group of experts from various paranormal specialties attempting to find the identity of hidden visitors.
Marcel Broekman was the author of the first encyclopedia about Palmistry titled "The Complete Encyclopedia of Practical Palmistry". The book served as one of the first written guides to reading and interpreting the lines and markings on the human hand. The book is divided into sections on events, character and potential, and case histories, and provides interpretations of each feature on a hand. It is organized in such a way that it is possible to read the palm at the same time as the text.

Personal life

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Marcel Broekman escaped Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II in 1942. Prior to their escape, Marcel spent a great deal of time in Paris, France where he studied Palmistry from a veteran local palmist. He emigrated to Manhattan, New York with his parents and brother and soon thereafter found work in the entertainment industry alongside his filmmaker/producer father Barend Broekman.
He died at the age of 90 at home in Newport Beach, California. He is survived by a son, a daughter, 4 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Selected filmography

  • 1981 Acting: Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio
  • 1981 On Location with Rich and Famous
  • 1980 On Location with: FAME
  • 1979 On Location with the Champ
  • 1978 Wiz on Down the Road
  • 1977 Filming a Love Story: Bobby Deerfield
  • 1977 The Gauntlet: Behind the Scenes
  • 1976 A Look Into the 23rd Century
  • 1976 Eastwood in Action
  • 1976 The Redd Foxx Becomes a Movie Star
  • 1976 Harry Callahan/Clint Eastwood: Something Special in Films
  • 1975 The Day of the Director
  • 1975 Lumet: Film Maker
  • 1975 Urban Living: Funny and Formidable
  • 1974...Promises to Keep
  • 1973 The Moviemakers
  • 1973 Martin Scorsese: Back on the Block
  • 1973 The Hero Cop: Yesterday and Today
  • 1972 The Dangerous World of 'Deliverance'
  • 1972 Screwball Comedies... Remember Them?
  • 1972 The Moviemakers
  • 1972 The Saga of Jeremiah Johnson
  • 1970 John Wayne and Chisum
  • 1970 On Location with the Owl and the Pussycat
  • 1968 'Bullitt': Steve McQueen's Commitment to Reality
  • 1968/II The Moviemakers