Leonard Morpurgo, Veteran Hollywood Publicist, Dies at 93

Leonard Morpurgo, the London-born international publicist and communications executive whose career included senior posts at Rogers & Cowan, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, CBS Theatrical Films and Lorimar Pictures, has died. He was 93. Morpurgo died Aug. 12 in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer, Weissman/Markovitz Communications president Rick Markovitz announced. (Morpurgo was a vice president at the firm.) “Leonard brought uncommon experience, intelligence and perspective to every campaign and every conversation,” Markovitz said. “He was a skilled raconteur, and I will miss his passion for storytelling and hearing about the old days of Hollywood.” Morpurgo worked behind the scenes with many of the entertainment industry’s most enduring figures. His experiences and observations informed his 2009 memoir, Of Kings and Queens and Movie Stars, a collection of stories recalling encounters with the likes of Cary Grant, Steve McQueen and Omar Sharif. “He was in one desert for the filming of Lawrence of Arabia and another for Dune,” his son Thierry said in a statement. “That was the kind of life he led — always close to the world of movies, wherever the work took him.” Morpurgo built a distinguished career representing independent and major-studio film and television productions. He brought a global perspective and a writer’s sensibility to publicity, press relations, awards campaigns, unit publicity, corporate communications and film festival work. Born on Nov. 28, 1932, Morpurgo served as director of European publicity and promotion for Columbia Pictures before coming to the U.S. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he frequently participated on the Academy’s International Feature Film Committee. Fluent in several languages, he also was a member of BAFTA Los Angeles. In 2022, Morpurgo was nominated for the International Cinematographers Guild’s Les Mason Award for Achievement in Publicity, recognizing his longstanding contributions to the profession. And for 10 years, he was editor of the Publicists Directory. Outside the film business, Morpurgo was an accomplished needlepoint artist. In his final months, he took pleasure in seeing his work exhibited in a virtual-reality art gallery. Survivors include his wife, Elena-Beth; his twin sons, Benjamin and Thierry; and his grandchildren, Violet, Oona and Lucien. Information regarding a celebration of life will be announced. “Leonard was a sweet, kind and generous soul — and my second boss after I moved to Los Angeles nearly five decades ago,” publicity exec Pamela Godwin-Austin said in a statement. “He shared his knowledge generously and was a great mentor. He knew how to temper the pressures of the job with humor. I am grateful he showed me the way.”