Sunday, November 20, 2022

RIP Gray Frederickson

 


Academy Award-winning Oklahoma City filmmaker Gray Frederickson died in his hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on November 20, 2022. He was 85. Born on July 21, 1937 as Harry Gray Frederickson Jr. The closest Frederickson got to a movie career as a youth was working as an usher at the Lakeside Theater in the 1950s. An alumnus of Casady School and the University of Oklahoma, Frederickson also attended the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. From there, he moved to Rome, where he launched his film career as producer of 1963’s “Nakita.” That led to more opportunities, such as joining Italian director Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as production manager. Frederickson forged a lasting friendship with that film’s star, Clint Eastwood. Frederickson moved his burgeoning career to Hollywood, and he made a key connection with fellow producer Albert S. Ruddy on the 1970 Robert Redford vehicle “Little Fauss and Big Halsy.” Two years later, he and Ruddy worked with studio legend Robert Evans to produce Coppola’s “The Godfather.” Gray won the best picture Oscar in 1975 for "The Godfather: Part II" and garnered a best picture nomination in 1980 for his work on "Apocalypse Now.”

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