Peter Rawley, a longtime ICM agent in Los Angeles and London who served as head of European production for MGM and produced independent films, has died. He was 85.
Rawley died Tuesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, his wife of 33 years, filmmaker Betty Kaplan, announced.
Most recently, Rawley produced and Kaplan directed and co-wrote the 2021 romantic thriller Simone, also known as Art of Love. Based on a book by Puerto Rican writer Eduardo Lalo, it stars Esai Morales and Caterina Murino and is being distributed by the Samuel Goldwyn Co.
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In creating new sources of talent and financing, Rawley played a vital role in expanding ICM’s operations worldwide as he helped build businesses directly or through affiliates in China, Latin America, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and elsewhere in Europe, often for the first time.
At the same time, he represented actors including Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Gere and Faye Dunaway. He was an ICM talent agent for 21 years.
Rawley also was known for his innovative financing, packaging and distribution of motion pictures internationally. He was one of the first to tap independent money largely from Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan for both Hollywood majors and independents.
Born in London, Rawley earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oxford. After producing theater, he joined ICM predecessor Creative Management Associates in 1966, eventually becoming managing director of ICM’s London office and head of European operations.
In 1972, he joined MGM as head of production in Europe, then produced Ransom (1974), a film about an airline hijacking that starred Sean Connery and was released as The Terrorist by 20th Century Fox.
He returned to ICM as executive vp and head of international operations in 1978.
Rawley and Kaplan lived in Puerto Rico since 2013 and produced TV and films including Of Love and Shadows (1994) and Doña Bárbara (1998) through Cine Condado Films and distributor RAI.
They were developing a TV series set in San Juan called Against the Tide, about a Puerto Rican detective and his team.
Rawley taught film production at the University of Puerto Rico, where he developed a scholarship program for young filmmakers to attend film school for a year. He also was on the board of the San Juan Teatro del Opera.
Fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, he participated in many seminars, most recently in Australia and at the Bombay Film Festival. He was an adviser to the Moscow International Film Festival and on the U.S. Committee of the British Film Office and was a longtime board member of the Ojai Music Festival.
In 1992, Rawley was honored by King Juan Carlos of Spain and is an Officer of the Civil Order of Merit.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his children, Pascale, Fabienne and Rufus, and grandchildren Cooper, Tarka, Merlin, Rowan and Ivo.
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