PR Vet Frank Liberman Dies
Represented Bob Hope, Steve Allen, many more.
Frank Liberman, a Hollywood publicist for more than 60 years, died September 21, 2009. He was 92.
Liberman represented some of the biggest names in show business.
Among the best known was Bob Hope, who was a client for 41 years. He also represented Phyllis Diller for 33 years and David Janssen for 16. Other clients included Henry Fonda, Nat “King” Cole, Tony Bennett, Jack Paar, Harry Belafonte, Steve Allen, Charles Bronson, Joan Blondell, Dorothy Lamour, Peggy Lee, Mel Ferrer, Mike Nichols, Frank Langella, Nick Nolte and William Shatner.
In addition to individuals, Liberman worked on publicity campaigns for motion pictures, including Solomon and Sheba, The Miracle Worker and Fiddler on the Roof. He also handled books for Hope, Allen Diller and George Burns.
He also oversaw the publicity for two famed restaurants frequented by Hollywood insiders, Dan Tana’s and La Scala.
A native of New York City, Liberman served with the U.S. Signal Corps and Army Pictorial Service during World War II. He began his public relations career with Warner Bros. in New York and eventually in Burbank. In 1947 formed his own publicity firm, Frank Liberman and Associates.
Liberman was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1946. He received the Publicists Guild's coveted Bob Yeager Award in 1991.
He was married to the late Pat Harris, a noted talent agent and casting director. He is survived by two daughters and two grandchildren.
Liberman had the distinction of being interviewed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation’s Archive of American Television. On February 21, 2001, he was interviewed for the Archive by Reba Merrill, in a joint venture with the Publicists’ Guild of America.
During the interview, Liberman chronicled his early career at the New York Daily News and then at Warner Bros., where he began in the publicity department. He talked about moving to Hollywood, where he left Warner Bros. and established his own publicity firm. Liberman also talked about the craft of publicity and defined some of the components that go into successful publicity campaigns.
The entire discussion is available here