Herb Jaffe (May 20, 1921-December 7, 1991) was an independent film producer in the United States.
Jaffe was born in Brooklyn, New York, and began his career as a literary agent,[1] working with authors such as Reginald Rose (Twelve Angry Men, 1954), Joseph Heller (Catch-22, 1961, Something Happened, 1974), and Philip Roth (Goodbye, Columbus, 1959, Portnoy's Complaint, 1969, American Pastoral, 1997, and The Human Stain, 2001). He then took a position at United Artists,[2] eventually becoming the studio's head of worldwide production.
Having become an independent producer in 1973, he produced The Wind and the Lion (1975), starring Sean Connery, and 11 other films, including Who'll Stop the Rain with Nick Nolte, Jinxed! with Bette Midler, The Demon Seed with Julie Christie, and Time After Time and Fright Night Part 2 with Julie Carmen. He also executive produced four films, including Those Lips, Those Eyes, and Motel Hell.
In the 1980s, he was head of The Vista Organization (a.k.a. Vista Films). During this time, he also set up Vista Films' home video branches, as well as distribution arm, New Century/Vista Film Co., a joint venture with New Century Entertainment.[3] [4]
Jaffe died of cancer at the age of 70 in Beverly Hills, California.
His son, Steven-Charles Jaffe, is also a producer, whose credits include titles such as Demon Seed and Time After Time. His other sons include DJ Jaffe and Robert Jaffe, who is an actor, writer and producer.