Simon Kornblit was a Belgian-born American studio executive and actor.
24 Facts About Simon Kornblit
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Simon Kornblit was born to a Jewish family in Antwerp, Belgium, on August 1,1933.
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Simon Kornblit's father, Nathan Kornblit, was a diamond cutter originally from Poland, while his mother, Sonia, was Russian.
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Simon Kornblit fled the country with his parents and sister, Dora, in 1940, just months before the invasion of Belgium by Nazi Germany.
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Simon Kornblit settled with his family in New York City, where he graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1951.
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Simon Kornblit began his career in marketing and advertising by working in the mailroom at DDB Worldwide in New York as a summer job in high school.
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DDB had less than 20 employees when Simon Kornblit joined the company, where he would work for 35 years.
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Simon Kornblit simultaneously attended the School of Commerce and Management at New York University while at DDB.
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Simon Kornblit temporarily left DDB to enlist in the United States Army during the Korean War.
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Simon Kornblit was responsible for managing such advertising accounts as American Tourister's "The Gorilla with the Suitcase" commercial early in his career.
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Simon Kornblit later decided to relocate from New York City to the DDB Worldwide offices in Los Angeles to be closer to his main clients in the entertainment industry, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures.
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Simon Kornblit headed the advertising campaign for 20th Century Fox launch of Star Wars in 1977.
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Simon Kornblit oversaw the marketing campaigns for the releases of more than 100 films for Universal Pictures from 1987 until 1993, including Field of Dreams, Fried Green Tomatoes and Jurassic Park.
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Simon Kornblit was named a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Academy Awards for his work.
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Simon Kornblit moved with his wife, Bobbi, to Atlanta in 1994, following the Northridge earthquake to be closer to family in the Southeast.
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Simon Kornblit quickly became involved with the arts and entertainment industries in Atlanta.
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Simon Kornblit co-founded and developed Kennesaw State University's film institute, serving as its director from 2001 until 2003.
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Simon Kornblit was a member of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival's executive committee and co-chaired the High Museum of Art's photo forum.
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Simon Kornblit served on the board of governors for the Atlanta chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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Simon Kornblit lectured as a guest professor of film marketing at Georgia State University and the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
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Simon Kornblit trained under Steve Coulter and other Atlanta area acting coaches.
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Simon Kornblit was able to get a talent agent after just six weeks of study.
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Simon Kornblit landed roles in local community theater productions, independent films and television pilots.
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Simon Kornblit died of acute myeloid leukemia at his home in Sandy Springs on July 2,2010, at the age of 76.