Michael Rauch was a producer, assistant director and Showtime executive best known for co-producing the films Blue Steel and Point Break, both of which were directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Rauch also executive produced Reversal of Fortune, Barbet Schroeder’s 1990 film about the Sunny von Bulow murder case, starring Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Ron Silver.
He got his start in film after graduating from New York University, where he majored in art and earned a spot in the Directors Guild of America's trainee program. While in the program, he worked on The French Connection and The Godfather before transitioning into production. He worked as a production supervisor or unit production manager on the films Live and Let Die, Eddie Macon’s Run, The Cotton Club and Brewster’s Millions.
As an assistant director, he worked on 1978’s Superman, Last Embrace, Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill and Simon, starring Alan Arkin.
For television, he worked as the coordinating producer of the 1981 CBS medical drama Nurse. The two-season series earned lead actress Michael Learned two Emmy nominations for her role, and a win in 1982. With Oliver Stone, Rauch produced the ABC sci-fi miniseries Wild Palms in 1993.
Michael Rauch was a producer, assistant director and Showtime executive best known for co-producing the films Blue Steel and Point Break, both of which were directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Rauch also executive produced Reversal of Fortune, Barbet Schroeder’s 1990 film about the Sunny von Bulow murder case, starring Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Ron Silver.
He got his start in film after graduating from New York University, where he majored in art and earned a spot in the Directors Guild of America's trainee program. While in the program, he worked on The French Connection and The Godfather before transitioning into production. He worked as a production supervisor or unit production manager on the films Live and Let Die, Eddie Macon’s Run, The Cotton Club and Brewster’s Millions.
As an assistant director, he worked on 1978’s Superman, Last Embrace, Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill and Simon, starring Alan Arkin.
For television, he worked as the coordinating producer of the 1981 CBS medical drama Nurse. The two-season series earned lead actress Michael Learned two Emmy nominations for her role, and a win in 1982. With Oliver Stone, Rauch produced the ABC sci-fi miniseries Wild Palms in 1993.
The same year, he moved into an executive position at Showtime, where he supervised production of more than 140 films and series, including Queer as Folk, The L Word and The Tudors.
Rauch died on July 2, 2015, in Studio City, California. He was 69.
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