Ronald L. Schwary


Ronald Louis Schwary was an Academy Award winning American producer and director. Films that he was either producer or executive producer include Ordinary People for which he won an Academy Award for Best Picture, Havana, Scent of a Woman, Sabrina, Meet Joe Black and Random Hearts.
He also worked as a producer alongside Sidney Pollack in Absence of Malice and in Tootsie, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1983. He received another Academy Award for Best Picture nomination for A Soldier's Story in 1985 as well.
Schwary did not receive a Best Picture nomination for Scent of a Woman in 1992, which was both nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes for best picture, since he was the executive producer and the academy only recognized those credited solely as producers.
Schwary was also the producer of the Rolling Stones documentary Lets Spend the Night Together in 1982. Schwary served as an executive producer on the Barbra Streisand directed film The Mirror Has Two Faces. From 2005 to 2011 he produced the Medium TV series.

Personal life

Schwary was born in The Dalles, Oregon, the son of Mitchell Schwary who was a real estate broker and Lorraine Ablan. Schwary was of Lebanese descent and both his paternal and maternal grandparents were born in Lebanon. He attended the University of Oregon but transferred to the University of Southern California where he graduated in 1967. At USC, Schwary became friends with actor John Wayne who was a USC alumni who got him a job as a stand-in for Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Schwary worked as an assistant director in the 1970s and later as a production manager.
He was married to Emmy-nominated hairstylist Susan Carol Schwary from 1971 to 1994. Both of their sons, Brian and Neil Schwary, work in the film industry. Schwary was married to Karen Feldman from 2009 to 2014.
Schwary died on July 2, 2020, from a rare neurological disease.

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

;Second unit director or assistant director
YearFilmRole
1973Save the TigerSecond assistant director
1974Dirty Mary, Crazy LarryAssistant director
1975BreakoutAssistant director
1975Breakheart PassFirst assistant director
1976Shadow of the HawkAssistant director
1976St. IvesAssistant director
1978Casey's ShadowAssistant director

;Production manager
YearFilmRoleNotes
1977Close Encounters of the Third KindUnit production manager: Additional scenes - 1980 special versionUncredited
1978The Cheap DetectiveUnit production manager
1978California SuiteProduction manager
1979The Electric HorsemanProduction manager
1980Ordinary PeopleUnit production manager
1981Absence of MaliceProduction manager
1995SabrinaProduction manager

;As an actor
YearFilmRoleNotes
1968Planet of the ApesFrightened HumanUncredited
1974The Ultimate ThrillDanny
1978Casey's ShadowTicket Seller
1978The Cheap DetectiveCab Driver
1982TootsiePhil Weintraub
1987Batteries Not IncludedLouie
1994Cops & RobbersonsProducer
1995SabrinaSheik

;Miscellaneous crew
YearFilmRoleNotes
1967The GraduateDustin Hoffman's stand-inUncredited

Television

;Second unit director or assistant director
YearTitleRoleNotes
1971Hawaii Five-OSecond assistant directorUncredited
1973Kung FuAssistant director
1973The Blue KnightAssistant directorTelevision film
1974The Stranger Who Looks Like MeAssistant director
1975Barnaby JonesAssistant director
1975Movin' OnAssistant director
1975The EntertainerFirst assistant directorTelevision film
1976Spencer's PilotsAssistant director
1977In the Glitter PalaceAssistant directorTelevision film
1987−88Tour of DutySecond unit director

;As director
YearTitle
1988Tour of Duty
1996Sisters
2000Now and Again
2005−09Medium

;Production manager
YearTitleRoleNotes
1977In the Glitter PalaceUnit production managerTelevision film
1991The BrotherhoodProduction managerTelevision film

;Thanks
YearTitleRoleNotes
202193rd Academy AwardsIn memoriamTelevision special