Walter Mortimer Mirisch was an award winning American film producer best known for making classics such as Some Like It Hot, West Side Story and In the Heat of the Night. He was the founder, president and executive head of The Mirisch Corporation, a film production company. Mirisch was born to Polish immigrants, after graduating high school he got a job in Jersey City's State Theater, it was there that he became interested in film. He received a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison... moreWalter Mortimer Mirisch was an award winning American film producer best known for making classics such as Some Like It Hot, West Side Story and In the Heat of the Night. He was the founder, president and executive head of The Mirisch Corporation, a film production company. Mirisch was born to Polish immigrants, after graduating high school he got a job in Jersey City's State Theater, it was there that he became interested in film. He received a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1942, and subsequently graduated from Harvard's Graduate School of Business Administration. He produced his first film in 1947 titled Fall Guy. By age 29 he was the production head at Allied Artists Studio. During his time there he made films like Flat top, Wichita which received a Golden Globe for as Best Outdoor Drama of 1955. In 1957 he and his half brother founded The Mirisch Company and produced 68 films for United Artists, including three that won the Academy Award for Best Picture namely The Apartment, West Side Story and In the Heat of the Night. He went on to produce numerous films throughout his career. Mirisch received numerous awards for his work like the 1967 Academy Award for Best Picture In the Heat of the Night and The Producer of the Year Award: first, from the Producers' Guild of America in 1967.
