'The Godfather,' 'Chinatown' producer Robert Evans dies

Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Former Paramount executive and producer Robert Evans died Saturday, Variety reported. Evan's spokesperson at Integrated PR confirmed his death to The Washington Post today. Evans was 89.

A Paramount executive from 1966 to 1975, Evans rose from VP in charge of production to head of worldwide production. During his time at Paramount, he oversaw such films as The Godfather, The Conversation, Rosemary's Baby, Harold and Maude, The Odd Couple, True Grit, Serpico, Paper Moon, Love Story and The Great Gatsby.

Evans took risks on material like Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and Erich Segal's script to Love Story. The chances he took on directors Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Polanski and Hal Ashby paid off for the studio and launched the filmmakers' careers.

In the '70s, Evans transitioned into producing his own films including Chinatown, Marathon Man, Urban Cowboy, and The Cotton Club. In the '90s he produced the Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes, Silver, Jade, The Phantom, and The Saint. His last feature film credit was How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Evans began his Hollywood career as an actor and took the spotlight again when he published his memoir The Kid Stays in the Picture. Evans starred in the documentary film adaptation of his memoir and played the title character in the animated series Kid Notorious.

Outside of the business, Evans struggled with addictions, married and divorced seven times including celebrities Ali MacGraw and Catherine Oxenberg, and recovered from a stroke suffered in 1998.