Television executive producer and director Jeff Margolis, who began his career holding cue cards on “Let’s Make a Deal” before going on to direct dozens of Hollywood awards shows and other acclaimed live events, died Friday, the Screen Actors Guild announced. He was 78. “Jeff Margolis created some of the most unforgettable moments in awards show history, and we are grateful that the Screen Actors Guild Awards was among them,” the SAG Awards Committee said in a statement. “For over 16 years, Jeff helped shape the telecast into a celebration worthy of the actors it honors. We are profoundly grateful for his contributions and will miss him dearly.” Margolis directed eight Academy Awards broadcasts, seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Emmys, and 22 American Music Awards, among several other awards show telecasts. He also directed Richard Pryor’s famed 1979 Live in Concert comedy film and variety specials for Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Whitney Houston, and Quincy Jones. A six-time Emmy nominee, Margolis won the award for his direction of the 1995 Oscars and for Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration in 1990. Margolis’ memoir, We’re Live in 5: My Extraordinary Life in Television, came out last year.
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