Robert Chartoff Dies: Oscar-Winning Producer Of ‘Rocky’ Films Was 81

Robert Chartoff, the producer of films such as Raging Bull and all six Rocky movies, has died at the age of 81. According to CNN, Chartoff’s daughter, Miranda Chartoff, issued a statement saying her father passed while family members were by his side.

“My father was amazing. He was an amazing father and person; there are no words. The important thing is that he died surrounded by his family.”

Robert Chartoff lost his battle with pancreatic cancer Wednesday night, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Chartoff and Iriwin Winkler partnered to form Chartoff-Winkler Productions, which produced the Rocky films and Martin Scorsese’s Best Picture-nominated Raging Bull. The two also received a nomination for their work on The Right Stuff, and had partnered for many other films, including Point Blank and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Chartoff and Winkler also worked together on the original versions and remakes of two of their films. One was The Gambler, which starred James Caan and Paul Sorvino in 1974, and then Mark Wahlberg and Jessica Lange in 2014. The other was the Charles Bronson-starring The Mechanic in 1972, which was remade in 2011 with Jason Statham in the lead role.

According to both of their IMDb pages, Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler were both working on Creed, the seventh entry in the popular Rocky franchise, at the time of Chartoff’s death. The film is currently listed in post-production, and is scheduled for release on November 25 of this year. Stallone will reprise his role as Rocky Balboa, who will be serving as the trainer and mentor of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the grandson of Apollo Creed. Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler is helming the project.

While talking to Steven Prigge for the 2004 book, Movie Moguls Speak: Interviews With Top Film Producers, Robert Chartoff mentioned that his favorite part of the first Rocky movie was “the ending.”

“In the end, Rocky Balboa lost the fight to Apollo Creed. However, something more important happened. He won by achieving his personal goal. That was very rare in American cinema.”

The announcement of Robert Chartoff’s death comes on the same week it was reported that actors Christopher Lee and Ron Moody passed away. With all three deaths announced over the span of just two days, the Los Angeles Times labeled today as “Troubled Thursday.”

“The deaths, particularly at advanced ages, have a kind of paradoxical effect: They’re sad occasions that reinforce notions of mortality even as they remind of the rich group of film legends who continue to thrive long after we’ve stopped paying close attention.”

What is your favorite Robert Chartoff-produced film?

[Photo by Charley Gallay / Getty Images]