Daniel Mitchell Goldberg (March 7, 1949 – July 12, 2023) was a Canadian film producer and screenwriter. He was a writer and producer on the films Meatballs (1979) and Stripes (1981). He was also a producer of The Hangover film series and received an Emmy Awards nomination for the film The Late Shift (1996).
Career
Goldberg met Ivan Reitman in 1966 while studying at McMaster University. He starred in the 1968 short film Orientation which was written and directed by Reitman. In 1969, he became a board member of the McMaster Film Board alongside Reitman, Eugene Levy and Dennis Matheson. The same year, Reitman and Goldberg collaborated to produce a film titled Columbus of Sex, directed by John Hofsess and based on the pornographic memoir My Secret Life. The three were arrested and charged for making and exhibiting an obscene film. Reitman and Goldberg were found guilty, being sentenced to one year of probation and a CA$300 fine.
Goldberg worked together with Reitman for more than 30 years. Their collaborations included Death Weekend (1976), Heavy Metal (1981), Feds (1988), Junior (1994), Space Jam (1996), Private Parts (1997), Commandments (1997), Fathers' Day (1997), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Road Trip (2000), Evolution (2001), Killing Me Softly (2002), Old School (2003) and EuroTrip (2004).
Goldberg first found success with the 1979 film Meatballs which was directed by Reitman and starred Bill Murray. He co-wrote the film with Len Blum, Janis Allen and Harold Ramis, and was also a producer. Goldberg would return to the franchise in 1987 as a writer on Meatballs III: Summer Job. He would again collaborate with Blum and Ramis to co-write the 1981 film Stripes which was directed by Reitman and starred Murray and Ramis, with Goldberg also serving as a producer. Goldberg and Blum co-wrote the film Feds which was also directed by Goldberg.
Goldberg found success with his producing career after the mid-1990s. He served as an executive producer on the animated TV shows Beethoven and Extreme Ghostbusters, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the 1996 television film The Late Shift on which he served as a co-executive producer. He was also a producer on all three films of The Hangover series.
Personal life and death Daniel was born to Irwin and Audrey Goldberg in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His siblings included Harris Goldberg, Amy Goldberg and Kathryn Hogg. He was married to Ilona Herzberg.
He died in Los Angeles on July 12, 2023, at the age of 74.
Filmography
Film
+YearTitleProducerExecutiveProducerWriterDirector(s)1969The Columbus of SexJohn Hofsess & Leland R. Thomas1973Cannibal GirlsIvan Reitman1979MeatballsIvan Reitman1981StripesIvan Reitman1981Heavy MetalGerald Potterton1983Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden ZoneLamont Johnson1988FedsHimself1994JuniorIvan Reitman1996Space JamJoe Pytka1997Private PartsBetty Thomas1997CommandmentsDaniel Taplitz1997Father's DayIvan Reitman1998Six Days Seven NightsIvan Reitman2000Road TripTodd Phillips2001EvolutionIvan Reitman2002Killing Me SoftlyChen Kaige2003Old SchoolTodd Phillips2004EuroTripJeff Schaffer2006School for ScoundrelsTodd Phillips2009The HangoverTodd Phillips2010Due DateTodd Phillips2011The Hangover Part IITodd Phillips2013The Hangover Part IIITodd Phillips2018Food FighterHimself +Other creditsYearTitleRoleNotes1968OrientationSecond unit director and actorDirected by Ivan Reitman; short film1973Cannibal GirlsEditor1976Death Weekend / The House by the LakeSound supervisor1981Heavy MetalPost-production supervisor1994JuniorSecond unit director
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1983Battle of the Network Stars XIVProgram coordinator: Trans World InternationalTelevision special1994BeethovenExecutive producer26 episodes1996The Late ShiftCo-executive producerTelevision film1997–1998Mummies Alive!Executive producer4 episodes1997Extreme GhostbustersExecutive producer40 episodes2001–2002Alienators: Evolution ContinuesExecutive producer25 episodes
References
External links