Richard S Rosenzweig

Dick Rosenzweig, longtime executive at Playboy Enterprises, Inc. and a founding member of what is now known as The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts, died on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 84. His wife and partner of 53 years, Judy Henning, said he was receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer.

A long-time friend and trusted advisor to Hugh M. Hefner, Rosenzweig served as executive vice president of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., president and executive producer of the internationally acclaimed Playboy Jazz Festival, and led the company’s subsidiary, Alta Loma Entertainment, Inc. into mainstream feature film as well as television and stage production. "Dick was a thoughtful, elegant, and extremely trustworthy man. To me, he was a man who defined high character,” said Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer.

Rosenzweig joined Playboy during the publication’s infancy. On a fateful day in 1958 while working in Chicago on the staff of Dun and Bradstreet, Inc., he discovered that a parade blocked his route. He stepped into a nearby building to pass the time by visiting a friend at the newly formed Playboy office. The friend alerted him to a job opening in the advertising department.

He was hired by the budding publishing company and began as an assistant to the advertising vice president. Over the next six decades, Rosenzweig held a variety of positions within the company, including production and syndication manager of the first Playboy's Penthouse television series; special assistant to the editorial director, Playboy magazine; and associate promotion director, HMH Publishing Company.

Cooper Hefner, former Chief Creative Officer of Playboy and son of the late Hugh M. Hefner, commented, “There is so much that I admire and will miss that speaks on behalf of the wonderful person Dick was. It was seen in his unwavering loyalty to my father. Like so many others, I am better as a result of having been a beneficiary of Dick’s friendship, guidance, and love. He will be missed by many.”

In 1977, he and Judy moved to Los Angeles, where he was made responsible for all West Coast operations for Playboy, including the Entertainment Group. He also became president and executive producer of the Playboy Jazz Festival. "Dick Rosenzweig was one of the most respected and beloved members of the Playboy family. During his 61-year tenure, his accomplishments were immeasurable, resulting in everything from TV's groundbreaking Playboy's Penthouse, to the legendary 'Big Bunny' jet, to the internationally acclaimed Playboy Jazz Festival, to his role as executive producer of E!'s hit television series, The Girls Next Door. He will be dearly missed," stated Playboy CEO Ben Kohn.

To friends and neighbors, Dick was known as a committed supporter of the arts, an avid collector of contemporary art, and a champion of the city of Beverly Hills. He served on the Beverly Hills Arts and Culture Commission, Beverly Hills General Plan Committee, Beverly Hills Convention and Visitors Bureau, was president of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, and was honored with the chairmanship of the city’s Centennial Celebration in 2014. He was a founding member of the board and executive committee of the Beverly Hills Cultural Center Foundation in 1996, was elected president, and served as vice chairman of what has become The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts in June 2000. Dick and his wife Judy were founders of the Museum of Contemporary Art. In July 2000, he was elected chairman of the Modern and Contemporary Art Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Rosenzweig has also distinguished himself in such posts as chairman of the board for more than a decade of Children of the Night, a nationally honored program for runaway teens; as a board member of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; as a groundbreaker of the American Cinematheque; and as a board member of the Henry Mancini Institute of the American Jazz Philharmonic.

In 1993, he was appointed by the mayor to the Economic Advisory Committee of Beverly Hills and was awarded the Beverly Hills Medal by the City Council for his outstanding services to the community. In 1995, he was elected president of The Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, a nationally recognized community counseling facility, after serving for two years as a member of the Center's board of directors. He was re-elected to that post in 1996 and served as its chairman from 1997-1998. He was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. to the Economic and Business Development Board of California in 1996.

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1935, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University School of Communication in 1957. He then served for six months in the United States Army active reserve at Fort Bragg, NC in the 305th Psychological Warfare Battalion.

Completing an advanced management program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business in 1975, Rosenzweig was named to Who's Who In America that same year. He became a member of the Producers Guild of America in March, 2007 and additionally holds membership in the following organizations: The American Film Institute (2005), The Recording Academy (2006), The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (2004) and International Documentary Association (2007.)

Dick is survived by his wife, Judy Henning; his nephew Steven Ziven and wife Lynn and their children Lisa and Jason; niece Debra Ziven; brother-in-law Alvin Ziven; and nephew Emmett Murphy and extended family. Dick Rosenzweig leaves a great legacy of contributions to worthy endeavors to his community, family, and much loved friends. Donations in his memory can be made to The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts. https://thewallis.org