Ilya Salkind
Encyclopedia
Ilya Juan Salkind Dominguez (born August 27, 1947), usually known as Ilya Salkind, is a film and television producer, well known for his contributions to the live-action Superman
films of the 1970s and '80s alongside his father, Alexander Salkind
.
. At the age of one, Salkind was photographed sitting on the lap of Zsa Zsa Gabor
. His grandfather, Mikhail Salkind, was one of the pioneers of silent films and produced Joyless Street (1925), featuring then-relatively-unknown Greta Garbo
in her first major role. Afterwards, Mikhail, along with Ilya's own father, Alexander Salkind
, joined their forces to supervise many successful films, from Orson Welles
' The Trial
(1962) to Abel Gance
's Austerlitz (1959). Beginning in 1969, Ilya Salkind became the third generation of this legendary movie-making dynasty. He and Alexander made numerous films, starting with the international box office hits The Three Musketeers
(1973) and its 1974 follow-up, The Four Musketeers
films, the first instance of which a major motion picture and its immediate sequel were shot simultaneously.
, purchased the film rights to the Superman
property in August 1974. It was agreed that the Salkinds would produce and supervise filming on Superman and Superman II
simultaneously, as had been the case with The Three Musketeers
and The Four Musketeers
. Securing the film rights from DC Comics
was an unbearable experience for the producers, as Spengler was forced to spend two weeks in meetings with DC executives for the specific purpose of establishing an "Integrity of the character" clause. However, the producers did make sure DC approved of every aspect of the film (including dialogue). At this point in time Muhammad Ali
, Dustin Hoffman
, Al Pacino
, James Caan, Clint Eastwood
and Steve McQueen
were being considered for the leading role of Superman.
William Goldman
was approached to write the script, but chose not to do so, as Ilya Salkind had personally cited certain creative differences with Goldman. Eventually, Ilya would hire Godfather author Mario Puzo
. The desperate search for a director then took place. Steven Spielberg
expressed high interest and Salkind felt comfortable in hiring him upon being impressed with his work on Duel
and The Sugarland Express
, though his father was skeptical, feeling that Spielberg was not famous enough and claimed they needed to wait until "that fish movie of his
" was released. Jaws was released with unanimous success, though by this time it was too late as Spielberg opted to do Close Encounters of the Third Kind
instead.
Peter Yates
was interested in directing, and was briefly involved in negotiationsm though the deal collapsed. Both William Friedkin
and Sam Peckinpah
were also offered the chance to direct. Friedkin turned down the offer outright, while Peckinpah dropped out of the running when he produced a gun during a meeting with Salkind. Richard Lester
, Guy Hamilton
, George Lucas
, John Guillermin and Ronald Neame
were then considered though Lucas was dropped as Salkind found out he was too committed on Star Wars
. It was decided to go with Hamilton, in light of the fact that Salkind was impressed with Hamilton's work as director of, among other projects, Goldfinger
and Battle of Britain
.
Salkind originally recommended Mario Puzo
to write the script as a serious science fiction epic. Although Puzo did impress him with certain aspects, Salkind felt the script remained intact with being overall campy, as did Guy Hamilton
. In addition they cited too much "Greek tragedy and Shakespearean
" elements. A fourth villain sentenced to the Phantom Zone
named Zak-Ur appeared as a comedic henchman. By this time, Puzo felt he "could do all he could," turning in two drafts, and David Newman
and Robert Benton
were hired for rewrite work, as a means to delete objectionable material concerning an excessive amount of comedic scenes. Leslie Newman
was brought in once Benton left to direct The Late Show
.
Casting started to take place, as Alexander Salkind wanted a famous actor in the role of Superman
. Dustin Hoffman
was once again highly considered though the idea was dropped. Robert Redford
was offered the part, but he felt he was too famous and was not right for the role, as did Burt Reynolds
. After the success of Rocky
, Sylvester Stallone
lobbied hard for the role but was ignored. Paul Newman
was offered all three roles of Superman, Jor-El and Lex Luthor to his choosing though he did not accept either one, for a salary of $4 million. Nick Nolte
and Rex Harrison
would both turn it down. It was decided to focus on casting Jor-El
and Lex Luthor
and save Superman for later. Hoffman was then offered the role of Luthor, and although he was interested, he turned it down. Marlon Brando
would eventually be cast as Jor-El, causing Gene Hackman
to be cast as Luthor as he wanted desperately to work with Brando. Impressed by the producers' ability to cast famous actors in respective roles, Warner Brothers decided to distribute the film internationally, rather than simply domestically
.
Sets were then being initiated in Rome, Italy as well as having flying tests being experimented. However, Brando could not go to Rome as there was still a warrant out for his arrest in Last Tango in Paris
due to sexual obscenity. It was decided to move the production to England
but Hamilton himself was a tax exile from his native country, which only allowed him to spend no more than 60 days a year. The director was forced to drop out because of Brando's actions and by this time six million dollars had already been spent on the production. Mark Robson
was then in negotiations to direct after Salkind was impressed with his work on Earthquake
. However, after viewing Richard Donner
's The Omen
it was decided otherwise.
's Santa Claus: The Movie
. That same year, DC Comics named Salkind as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great
for his work on the Superman film franchise.
The Salkinds returned to the Superman mythology again in 1988, this time as a TV series, with Superboy
, starring John Haymes Newton
in the title role during its first year, Gerard Christopher
as the Boy of Steel for the remainder of the show's existence, and Stacy Haiduk
as Lana Lang
, lasted four seasons, running for 100 episodes. Following the team's last film, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
(1992
), Ilya and his then wife, Jane Chaplin
(daughter of Charlie Chaplin
) settled in Orlando, Florida, where much of the Superboy series had been filmed. There, Ilya and Jane took a sabbatical and devoted their time to raising their two sons. In 1999, the couple amicably separated.
on two episodes. He also recently appeared as himself on the 2006 television documentary Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman
talking about his time producing the Superman
movies. He also provided audio commentary along with producer Pierre Spengler
for the 2006 DVD releases of Superman: The Movie (Four-Disc Collector's Edition), Superman II (Two-Disc Special Edition), and Superman III (Deluxe Edition). As of 2010, The Ilya Salkind Company has been dissolved.
, traveled south of the border to handle a property he inherited from his mother who died a few years ago. The 63-year-old was staying at his family's home in Tepoztlán
. On February 2, 2011, Salkind's long-time business partner filed a missing persons report
with Mexican authorities, Salkind having left his cell phone at his Mexico City estate on January 30, telling his staff that he was going to run errands, and not having been seen since. Family and friends became alarmed when he failed to show up for a dentist's appointment the following day. Investigators on February 3 located Salkind in a local hospital, where he was reported to be under sedation.
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
films of the 1970s and '80s alongside his father, Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind was the second of three generations of successful international film producers.-Life and career:...
.
Early life and career
Ilya Salkind was born August 27, 1947 in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of Berta Dominguez, a Mexican novelist, and producer Alexander SalkindAlexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind was the second of three generations of successful international film producers.-Life and career:...
. At the age of one, Salkind was photographed sitting on the lap of Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
. His grandfather, Mikhail Salkind, was one of the pioneers of silent films and produced Joyless Street (1925), featuring then-relatively-unknown Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
in her first major role. Afterwards, Mikhail, along with Ilya's own father, Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind was the second of three generations of successful international film producers.-Life and career:...
, joined their forces to supervise many successful films, from Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' The Trial
The Trial (1962 film)
The Trial is a 1962 film directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay based on the novel of the same name by Franz Kafka...
(1962) to Abel Gance
Abel Gance
Abel Gance was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. He is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse , La Roue , and the monumental Napoléon .-Early life:...
's Austerlitz (1959). Beginning in 1969, Ilya Salkind became the third generation of this legendary movie-making dynasty. He and Alexander made numerous films, starting with the international box office hits The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (1973 film)
The Three Musketeers is a 1973 film based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser . It was originally proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in two other films...
(1973) and its 1974 follow-up, The Four Musketeers
The Four Musketeers (film)
The Four Musketeers is a 1974 Richard Lester film that follows upon his film of the year before, The Three Musketeers, and covers the second half of Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers...
films, the first instance of which a major motion picture and its immediate sequel were shot simultaneously.
Superman film series
Ilya and Alexander, along with producing partner Pierre SpenglerPierre Spengler
Pierre Spengler is a French film producer. Among many international hits, he is best known for initiating the first three Superman movies, and producing them with Ilya Salkind.-Overview:...
, purchased the film rights to the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
property in August 1974. It was agreed that the Salkinds would produce and supervise filming on Superman and Superman II
Superman II
Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
simultaneously, as had been the case with The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (1973 film)
The Three Musketeers is a 1973 film based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser . It was originally proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in two other films...
and The Four Musketeers
The Four Musketeers (film)
The Four Musketeers is a 1974 Richard Lester film that follows upon his film of the year before, The Three Musketeers, and covers the second half of Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers...
. Securing the film rights from DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
was an unbearable experience for the producers, as Spengler was forced to spend two weeks in meetings with DC executives for the specific purpose of establishing an "Integrity of the character" clause. However, the producers did make sure DC approved of every aspect of the film (including dialogue). At this point in time Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
, James Caan, Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
and Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
were being considered for the leading role of Superman.
William Goldman
William Goldman
William Goldman is an American novelist, playwright, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
was approached to write the script, but chose not to do so, as Ilya Salkind had personally cited certain creative differences with Goldman. Eventually, Ilya would hire Godfather author Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
. The desperate search for a director then took place. Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
expressed high interest and Salkind felt comfortable in hiring him upon being impressed with his work on Duel
Duel (film)
Duel is a 1971 television film about a terrified motorist on a remote and lonely road being chased and stalked by the unseen driver of a tanker truck...
and The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American drama film starring Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, and Michael Sacks. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, his first film to be intended as a theatrical release .It is about a husband and wife trying to outrun the law and was based on a...
, though his father was skeptical, feeling that Spielberg was not famous enough and claimed they needed to wait until "that fish movie of his
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
" was released. Jaws was released with unanimous success, though by this time it was too late as Spielberg opted to do Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
instead.
Peter Yates
Peter Yates
Peter James Yates was an English director and producer. He was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager...
was interested in directing, and was briefly involved in negotiationsm though the deal collapsed. Both William Friedkin
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
and Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
were also offered the chance to direct. Friedkin turned down the offer outright, while Peckinpah dropped out of the running when he produced a gun during a meeting with Salkind. Richard Lester
Richard Lester
Richard Lester is an American film director based in Britain. Lester is notable for his work with The Beatles in the 1960s and his work on the Superman film series in the 1980s.-Early years and television:...
, Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton is an English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, John Guillermin and Ronald Neame
Ronald Neame
Ronald Elwin Neame CBE, BSC was an English film cinematographer, producer, screenwriter and director.-Early career:...
were then considered though Lucas was dropped as Salkind found out he was too committed on Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
. It was decided to go with Hamilton, in light of the fact that Salkind was impressed with Hamilton's work as director of, among other projects, Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
and Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
.
Salkind originally recommended Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
to write the script as a serious science fiction epic. Although Puzo did impress him with certain aspects, Salkind felt the script remained intact with being overall campy, as did Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton is an English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
. In addition they cited too much "Greek tragedy and Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
" elements. A fourth villain sentenced to the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
named Zak-Ur appeared as a comedic henchman. By this time, Puzo felt he "could do all he could," turning in two drafts, and David Newman
David Newman (filmmaker)
David Newman was an American filmmaker. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s he frequently collaborated with Robert Benton. He was married to fellow writer Leslie Newman, with whom he had two children, until the time of his death...
and Robert Benton
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter and film director.Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University. Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and...
were hired for rewrite work, as a means to delete objectionable material concerning an excessive amount of comedic scenes. Leslie Newman
Leslie Newman
Leslie Newman is a screenwriter who co-wrote the first three Superman films with husband David Newman, who died in 2003. They had two children together...
was brought in once Benton left to direct The Late Show
The Late Show (film)
The Late Show is a 1977 comedy, neo-noir, romance, mystery film written and directed by Robert Benton and produced by Robert Altman. It stars Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche, and Joanna Cassidy...
.
Casting started to take place, as Alexander Salkind wanted a famous actor in the role of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
was once again highly considered though the idea was dropped. Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
was offered the part, but he felt he was too famous and was not right for the role, as did Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
. After the success of Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
lobbied hard for the role but was ignored. Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
was offered all three roles of Superman, Jor-El and Lex Luthor to his choosing though he did not accept either one, for a salary of $4 million. Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
would both turn it down. It was decided to focus on casting Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
and Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
and save Superman for later. Hoffman was then offered the role of Luthor, and although he was interested, he turned it down. Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
would eventually be cast as Jor-El, causing Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
to be cast as Luthor as he wanted desperately to work with Brando. Impressed by the producers' ability to cast famous actors in respective roles, Warner Brothers decided to distribute the film internationally, rather than simply domestically
Domestic market
A domestic market is a financial market. Its trades are aimed toward a single market. A domestic market is also referred to as domestic trading...
.
Sets were then being initiated in Rome, Italy as well as having flying tests being experimented. However, Brando could not go to Rome as there was still a warrant out for his arrest in Last Tango in Paris
Last Tango in Paris
Last Tango in Paris is a 1972 Italian romantic drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci which portrays a recent American widower who takes up an anonymous sexual relationship with a young, soon-to-be-married Parisian woman...
due to sexual obscenity. It was decided to move the production to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but Hamilton himself was a tax exile from his native country, which only allowed him to spend no more than 60 days a year. The director was forced to drop out because of Brando's actions and by this time six million dollars had already been spent on the production. Mark Robson
Mark Robson
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
was then in negotiations to direct after Salkind was impressed with his work on Earthquake
Earthquake (film)
Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
. However, after viewing Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
's The Omen
The Omen
An original score for the film, including the movie's theme song Ave Satani, was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant...
it was decided otherwise.
Post-Superman career
Team Salkind's last journey into film fantasy was 19851985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
's Santa Claus: The Movie
Santa Claus: The Movie
Santa Claus: The Movie is a 1985 British/American Christmas film starring Dudley Moore and John Lithgow. It is the last major fantasy film produced by the Paris-based father-and-son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind...
. That same year, DC Comics named Salkind as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great
Fifty Who Made DC Great
Fifty Who Made DC Great is a one shot published by DC Comics to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary in 1985. It was published in comic book format but contained text articles with photographs and background caricatures...
for his work on the Superman film franchise.
The Salkinds returned to the Superman mythology again in 1988, this time as a TV series, with Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
, starring John Haymes Newton
John Haymes Newton
John Newton is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his regular roles on the television programs Superboy as Clark Kent in the show's first season and as Ryan McBride on the original Melrose Place.-Career:...
in the title role during its first year, Gerard Christopher
Gerard Christopher
Gerard Christopher is an American actor. He was the second actor to play the role of Superboy in the series of the same name . During his tenure on Superboy he would later also be a producer and writer on the series...
as the Boy of Steel for the remainder of the show's existence, and Stacy Haiduk
Stacy Haiduk
Stacy Haiduk is an American actress. She is known for playing Lana Lang on Superboy from 1988 to 1992, Katherine Hitchcock on season 1 of seaQuest DSV from 1993 to 1994, Hannah Nichols on All My Children from 2007 to 2008, and the dual roles of Patty Williams and Dr...
as Lana Lang
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
, lasted four seasons, running for 100 episodes. Following the team's last film, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, a 1992 film directed by James Bond alumnus John Glen, was the last project developed by the father and son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind. It follows the events leading up to and including the voyage of Columbus to the New World in 1492...
(1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
), Ilya and his then wife, Jane Chaplin
Chaplin family
The Chaplin family is an English/American/Swiss acting family. There are the descendants of Hannah Chaplin, chiefly known as the mother of Charlie Chaplin, the Academy Award-winning English comedic actor and filmmaker. Hannah Chaplin's mother was half-Roma...
(daughter of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
) settled in Orlando, Florida, where much of the Superboy series had been filmed. There, Ilya and Jane took a sabbatical and devoted their time to raising their two sons. In 1999, the couple amicably separated.
Ilya Salkind Company
Returning to Los Angeles in 2003, the producer launched the Ilya Salkind Company in the late summer of that year. The company's first project, Young Alexander the Great, was shot on location in Greece and Egypt was released in December 2010. The company has several major motion pictures slated for the coming years.Superman retrospectives
On the DVD release of Superboy: The Complete First Season in 2006, Salkind appeared as himself on the documentary featurette "Superboy: Getting Off the Ground" and provided audio commentary with series star John Haymes NewtonJohn Haymes Newton
John Newton is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his regular roles on the television programs Superboy as Clark Kent in the show's first season and as Ryan McBride on the original Melrose Place.-Career:...
on two episodes. He also recently appeared as himself on the 2006 television documentary Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman
Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman is a documentary film from executive producers Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns which details the history of the Superman franchise, from comic book, to television, to the big screen...
talking about his time producing the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
movies. He also provided audio commentary along with producer Pierre Spengler
Pierre Spengler
Pierre Spengler is a French film producer. Among many international hits, he is best known for initiating the first three Superman movies, and producing them with Ilya Salkind.-Overview:...
for the 2006 DVD releases of Superman: The Movie (Four-Disc Collector's Edition), Superman II (Two-Disc Special Edition), and Superman III (Deluxe Edition). As of 2010, The Ilya Salkind Company has been dissolved.
Reported missing
Salkind, who was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, traveled south of the border to handle a property he inherited from his mother who died a few years ago. The 63-year-old was staying at his family's home in Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán is a town in the Mexican state of Morelos. It is located at in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town serves as the seat of government for the municipality of the same name. The town had a population of 14,130 inhabitants, while the municipality reported 41,629 inhabitants in the...
. On February 2, 2011, Salkind's long-time business partner filed a missing persons report
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
with Mexican authorities, Salkind having left his cell phone at his Mexico City estate on January 30, telling his staff that he was going to run errands, and not having been seen since. Family and friends became alarmed when he failed to show up for a dentist's appointment the following day. Investigators on February 3 located Salkind in a local hospital, where he was reported to be under sedation.