Mimi Roth, 81; Executive at United Artists in ‘60s
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Mimi Roth, one of the first female executives for a major Hollywood studio--United Artists in the 1960s--died of cancer Thursday in Studio City. She was 81.
Born in the Bronx and educated at Queens College in New York, Roth was influenced by uncles working in radio and began writing comedy material for Art Carney to use on radio.
She also wrote for the popular radio quiz show “Break the Bank.”
Roth was at United Artists from 1958 to 1971 as head of its development department, where she was responsible for searching through thousands of screenplays to find the studio’s future hit productions.
Her son Eric Roth, who became a screenwriter and earned an Oscar for writing “Forrest Gump,” said she was a tough critic but always kind and generous, helping writers find work.
After leaving United Artists, Mimi Roth worked for Playboy Productions’ development department and taught screenwriting at USC.
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