Leonard Morpurgo, the London-born international film publicist and communications executive who had senior posts at companies including Rogers & Cowan, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, CBS Theatrical Films and Lorimar Pictures, died of cancer on Aug. 12. He was 93.
Morpurgo’s career spanned over 50 years. He worked at newspapers before becoming a publicist. A gentlemanly figure who was a fixture at film festivals and markets worldwide, he was fluent in multiple languages and specialized in sharing his global perspective while representing independent and major-studio film and television productions. His experiences and observations from the international film world formed the basis of his 2009 memoir “Of Kings and Queens and Movie Stars,” a collection of stories recalling encounters with figures in the entertainment industry including Cary Grant, Steve McQueen and Omar Sharif.
“He was in one desert for the filming of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and another for ‘Dune,’” said his son, Thierry Morpurgo in a statement. “That was the kind of life he led — always close to the world of movies, wherever the work took him.”
Morpurgo was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and frequently participated on the Academy’s International Feature Film Committee. He also was a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles.
