MSN Entertainment
By Greg Evans
3/1/2018
Bruce Margolis, a longtime 20th Century Fox Television production executive and television producer, died on February 16 after a battle with cancer. He was 64, and passed away at Citrus Valley Hospice in West Covina, California.
His death was confirmed by 20th Century Fox Television.
Margolis most recently served as a Co-Executive Producer on Fox’s drama Star, a position he held from the show’s inception, after serving as a production executive on the series’ pilot.
Prior to Star, Margolis served as Senior Vice President of Production for the studio for nearly 18 years before taking a voluntary buyout offer in 2016, becoming an independent producer and soon returning to the studio with an overall deal.
During his long tenure at 20th Century Fox TV, he oversaw all elements of many series’ physical production, from hiring the department heads and crew members to supervising principal photography and post production. He worked closely with showrunners, producers and cast members from script to final delivery of every episode.
A statement from the studio noted that “Bruce had a big, boisterous personality and a love of the business and the people in it, and he enjoyed nothing more than the challenge of figuring out how to do the impossible, and then doing it, on time and on budget.”
Among the many series he oversaw were Bones, 24, Prison Break, Terra Nova, and the political drama Tyrant.
An avid photographer, Margolis often took portraits of cast and crew members, as well as candid shots during breaks, landscape photography on location, and images for all 12 months of a 20th Century Fox TV calendar in which executives’ dogs were posed in humorous tableaus representing shows from Homeland to Modern Family.
Margolis began his career as an official photographer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and also worked as a location manager for a variety of television westerns including The Young Riders and Gunsmoke.
He is survived by his wife, Jodie, his children Matt, Megan and David, and his son-in-law Aaron. A memorial service is planned on the 20th Century Fox lot in April to celebrate his life. Donations in his honor can be made to his favorite dog rescue organization, Ace of Hearts, at http://www.aceofheartsdogs.com.
MARGOLIS, Bruce
Born: 1952, U.S.A.
Died: 2/16/2018, West Coast, California, U.S.A.
Bruce Margolis’ westerns – associate producer, location manager:
The Young Riders (TV) – 1989-1992 [location manager]
Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice (TV) – 1994 [associate producer]