Bob Steuer, Longtime Film Sales Executive, Dies at 86

Robert B. “Bob” Steuer, a longtime film sales executive with AIP, Film Ventures, 20th Century Fox and Premiere Entertainment Services, died Feb. 5 in Tarzana, Calif. after a long battle with dementia. He was 86.

Born in New Orleans, Steuer graduated Tulane University and joined the U.S. Army where he held the rank of second lieutenant.

After leaving the Army, he began producing low budget feature films and eventually partnered to buy a radio station in Biloxi, Miss. He then bought a drive-in theater which played many films from independent distributor American International Pictures, whose founders Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson lured him to Hollywood.

He became a key executive in AIP’s distribution operation until it was sold to Filmways in 1979. After leaving AIP, Steuer consulted for Ely and Edie Landau’s production company, where he supervised the release of “The Chosen” with Maximilian Schell and Rod Steiger.

In 1981, he joined Film Ventures in 1981 as executive vicepresident and oversaw the U.S. release and foreign sales of numerous films, traveling to France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. For several years, he served as the Cannes Marche du Film’s North American rep and was a frequent attendee at the AFM, Cannes, MIFED and other film markets.

He also held key positions at 20th Century Fox, Encore Entertainment and, most recently, he served as
vice president of production at Premiere Entertainment Services, retiring in 2019.

He is survived by his wife Peggy, son Philip, daughter Amy (Dickstein), sister Judy (Hearst),
son-in law Joseph Dickstein and granddaughters Cayden Dickstein and Jordan Steuer.