Scarface & Serpico Producer Martin Bregman Dies at 92

Screen Rant

By Caitlin Leale

Published Jun 17, 2018

Martin Bregman, producer of the iconic films Scarface and Serpico, passes away at the age of 92 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Martin Bregman, the producer of such iconic films as Scarface and Serpico, passed away at the age of 92 this weekend. His passing was due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

Bregman was one of New York’s most prominent film producers and is also credited with having discovered a young Al Pacino in an off-Broadway play in the late ‘60s. It was Bregman who helped Pacino get his career off the ground, landing the young actor his first role in a feature film with the 1971 drama Panic in Needle Park. The two later worked together in numerous projects, including Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Sea of Love (1989).

The producer’s family confirmed his death to NBC 4 in New York. His son, Michael Bregman, told Deadline, “We were by his side when he passed at 5:45 PM Saturday. …It was quick and peaceful.” The younger Bregman often worked with his father to produce films. The two shared producer’s credits on films such as The Bone Collector and Carlito’s Way.

Bregman was born in 1926 and grew up in the Bronx. He went to college at Indiana University and later attended New York University. After holding a job in the insurance industry, he began his entertainment career by working as a nightclub agent. Soon afterwards he began representing actors, and his reputation skyrocketed as he began to represent talents such as Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. Despite his array of other famous clients, Bregman is still known best for his work with Al Pacino.

The producer married his wife, actress Cornelia Sharpe, in 1981. In the early '90s, Bregman partnered with Michael Caine, and they established their very own production company, M&M Productions. The two went on to make Michael Caine's 1992 thriller Blue Ice with the company. Other films Bregman produced include Matilda (1996) and The Bone Collector (1999). He also dabbled in television production, serving as the executive producer on the 1984 TV series The Four Seasons. His most recent project was producing the Antoine Fuqua-directed Scarface, which is currently in development through Universal Pictures with Diego Luna as the film’s lead.

Bregman’s career was certainly an impressive one, and if it were not for his discovery and support of Al Pacino, the American film industry would be without one of its finest actors. Bregman made vital contributions to both the crime thriller and gangster genres, and his films Serpico, Scarface, and Carlito’s Way have gone down in history as amongst the most memorable works not only of these two genres, but also of the cinematic art as a whole.

Bregman is survived by his wife and three children Michael, Chris, and Marissa.