# Robert Rehme

Robert Rehme (born May 5, 1935) is an American film producer whose credits include the films Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The General's Daughter.

## Career

In 1961, he was manager of RKO Theatres in Cincinnati and in 1969 he joined United Artists's advertising department. In 1976, he formed his own exhibition and distribution firm but later joined New World Pictures as vice president and general sales manager in February 1978.

### Head of Avco Embassy

He joined Avco Embassy Pictures in December 1978 as vice-president and chief operating officer. In November 1979, he was elected president and chief executive officer.
When Rehme started at Avco, he asked for $5 million to make movies. He used it to make eight. "The important thing was not to put Avco at risk for any major amount of money," he said. "We'd finance a movie and find a financial group to buy us out, so we could use the money over again."
Under Rehme's stewardship, the company went from earning $20 million in 1978 to $90 million in 1981. Among its successful films were two from John Carpenter, The Fog and Escape from New York. He also backed The Howling and had a big success with Time Bandits which Avco picked up from Britain. Other hits included Phantasm, The Onion Field and Watership Down. Flops included Winter Kills, Death Ship and Hog Wild.
In December 1981, Avco was bought by Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio.

### Universal

In June 1981, Rehme joined Universal Pictures, becoming president of the Theatrical Motion Picture Group in December 1982. He quit in December 1983.

### New World

In 1983, he became co-chairman and chief executive officer of New World Entertainment, Inc until 1989.

## Producer

In 1989, Rehme and producer Mace Neufeld co-founded the motion picture production company Neufeld/Rehme Productions. It was during this time that he created the pictures for which he is most known, such as Patriot Games and Flight of the Intruder.
Rehme served as a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for eight years before becoming president in 1992, succeeding Karl Malden. Prior to that, he had been President of the Academy Foundation. He could only serve as Academy President for one year, as Academy rules stipulated that he could only sit on the board for nine consecutive terms. He rejoined the board and became president for a second time from 1997 to 2001.

## Select credits

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

### Film

| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
| 1981 | An Eye for an Eye | Executive producer | |
| 1982 | Vice Squad | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | Flight of the Intruder | | Uncredited |
| 1991 | Necessary Roughness | | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games | | |
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | | |
| 1994 | Clear and Present Danger | | |
| 1998 | Blind Faith | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Lost in Space | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Black Dog | Executive producer | |
| 2000 | Bless the Child | Executive producer | |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | Executive producer | |
| 2005 | Asylum | Executive producer | |

### As Head of Avco

| Year | Film | Director | Notes |
| 1978 | Go Tell the Spartans | Ted Post | Film about Vietnam War with Burt Lancaster |
| 1978 | Stingray | Richard Taylor | Action comedy |
| 1978 | Watership Down | Martin Rosen | British animated film, box office hit |
| 1979 | The Bell Jar | Larry Peerce | Based on Sylvia Plath book |
| 1979 | Phantasm | Don Coscarelli | Sci-fi horror, box office hit |
| 1979 | Old Boyfriends | Joan Tewksbury | Comedy, cult film |
| 1979 | Winter Kills | William Richert | Black comedy, box office flop, cult film |
| 1979 | Goldengirl | Joseph Sergeant | Sci-fi sports, box office flop |
| 1979 | City on Fire | Alvin Rakoff | Canadian disaster movie, box office flop |
| 1979 | The Onion Field | Harold Becker | Based on Joseph Wambaugh book |
| 1979 | A Man, a Woman, and a Bank | Noel Black | Canadian heist film |
| 1979 | Fish Hawk | Donald Shebib | Canadian drama |
| 1979 | Murder by Decree | Bob Clark | Canadian-British movie, Sherlock Holmes |
| 1980 | Hog Wild | Les Rose | Canadian comedy |
| 1980 | The Fog | John Carpenter | Horror, box office hit |
| 1980 | The Black Marble | Harold Becker | Based on Joseph Wamnaugh book |
| 1980 | Death Ship | Alvin Rakoff | Canadian horror |
| 1980 | The Baltimore Bullet | Robert Ellis Miller | Comedy |
| 1980 | Night Games | Roger Vadim | erotic thriller |
| 1980 | Prom Night | Paul Lynch | Canadian horror, box office hit |
| 1980 | The Exterminator | James Glickenhaus | vigilante film, box office hit |
| 1980 | Hopscotch | Ronald Neame | spy comedy |
| 1980 | Delusion | Alan Beattie | slasher |
| 1981 | Scanners | David Cronenberg | Canadian horror, box office hit |
| 1981 | Take This Job and Shove It | Gus Trikonis | Comedy based on a song, box office hit |
| 1981 | The Howling | Joe Dante | horror, box office hit |
| 1981 | Dirty Tricks | Alvin Rakoff | comedy |
| 1981 | The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia | Ronald Maxwell | comedy based on a song, minor hit |
| 1981 | Dead & Buried | Gery Sherman | slasher |
| 1981 | Final Exam | Jimmy Houston | slasher film, minor hit |
| 1981 | Escape from New York | John Carpenter | sci fi action, box office hit |
| 1981 | An Eye for an Eye | Steve Carver | Chuck Norris action, box office hit |
| 1981 | Carbon Copy | Michael Schultz | comedy |
| 1981 | Tulips | Stan Ferris | comedy |
| 1981 | Time Bandits | Terry Gilliam | British sci fi, major hit |
| 1982 | Vice Squad | Gary Sherman | action, box office hit |
| 1982 | Zapped! | Robert Rosenthal | teen comedy, box office hit |

#### Thanks

| Year | Film | Notes |
| 1982 | Zapped! | Thanks |

### Television

| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
| 1992 | Lightning Force | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Gridlock | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1996 | Woman Undone | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1996 | For the Future: The Irvine Fertility Scandal | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1998 | Escape: Human Cargo | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2001 | Love and Treason | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2002 | Conviction | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2003 | Deacons for Defense | Executive producer | Television film |