| Marcel Broekman | |
| Birth Date: | 14 September 1922 |
| Birth Place: | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Death Place: | Newport Beach, California, USA |
| Occupation: | Filmmaker, Cinematographer, Palmist |
| Yearsactive: | 1945–1980 |
Marcel Broekman (September 14, 1922 – March 21, 2013) was a Dutch-born American filmmaker, cinematographer and palmist.
Marcel Broekman was a co-producer of the cult hit "Amityville Horror" in partnership with Ronald Saland and Howard Kuperman through their Manhattan‐based business called Professional Film Services.[1] His filmography[2] includes featurettes and documentaries about the making of movies from 1962-1980, including over 41 feature films.
Broekman was a palmist featured on CBC's "Beyond Reason", a television quiz show seen throughout Canada from 1977 to 1980. Programs featured a group of experts from various paranormal specialties attempting to find the identity of hidden visitors.
Marcel Broekman was the author of the first encyclopedia about Palmistry titled "The Complete Encyclopedia of Practical Palmistry".[3] The book served as one of the first written guides to reading and interpreting the lines and markings on the human hand. The book is divided into sections on events, character and potential, and case histories, and provides interpretations of each feature on a hand. It is organized in such a way that it is possible to read the palm at the same time as the text.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, Marcel Broekman escaped Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II in 1942. Prior to their escape, Marcel spent a great deal of time in Paris, France where he studied Palmistry from a veteran local palmist. He emigrated to Manhattan, New York with his parents and brother and soon thereafter found work in the entertainment industry alongside his filmmaker/producer father Barend Broekman.
He died at the age of 90 at home in Newport Beach, California. He is survived by a son, a daughter, 4 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.