Martin Starger dead at 92: Hollywood movie producer of ‘Nashville,’ has passed away

Hollywood movie producer Martin Starger who was behind such movies as Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville,’ has died at the age of 92. According to the BFI, in the 1975 movie Nashville, “Robert Altman forged a distinctively naturalistic aesthetic in the 1970s, typified by a dialogue that overlaps with lifelike messiness and a camera that restlessly pans and zooms within a scene, picking out detail with apparent spontaneity.”

Martin Starger was born in the Bronx, New York on 8 May 1932, to parents Rose and Isidore Starger and was drafted into the U.S Army after graduating from college. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Motion Picture Techniques from City College and was drafted into the army in1953 where he was assigned to the Signal Corps motion picture division and when he left, he joined the advertising agency BBDO in New York. After becoming the vice president of programs at ABC he became the president of ABC Entertainment. 

Martin Starger went on to co-produce Nashville with Jerry Weintraub and according to The Hollywood Reporter, “went on to partner with British legend Lew Grade at Marble Arch Productions- they produced the movie Mask (1985) and launched his own company, Marstar Productions.”

The 1985 movie Mask featured Cher and Eric Stoltz who starred as Rocky Dennis, a teenager with a deformed skull who not only had to cope with the fact that he could die at any time, but also had to endure taunts at high school whilst his mother (played by Cher) attempted to give him the happiness he so desperately deserved. Both Cher and Eric Stoltz received Golden Glove Award nominations for their performances and Michael George Westmore won the Academy Award for Make-up for his work on the movie. 

As well as movie credits on films such as ‘Sophie’s Choice,,’ ‘Mask,’ ‘On Golden Pond’ and ‘The Muppet Movie,’ his Broadway credits included ‘Starlight Express’ ‘Sly Fox’ ‘Lend Me a Tenor’ and ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’ 

Martin Starger’s death was announced by his niece, casting director Ilene Starger who said he died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home.