Bruce Davis, Longtime AMPAS Executive Director, Dies at 83 — SkimNews
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- Bruce Davis died Sept. 5 in Los Angeles at age 83 after a career that included 22 years as Executive Director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, from 1989 to 2011.
- Davis joined the Academy after chairing the theater department at Juniata College in Pennsylvania and initially oversaw public programming before being named Executive Director.
- During his tenure, Davis worked with the city of Beverly Hills and Academy president Robert Wise to acquire the 1928 building that became the Margaret Herrick Library.
- Davis also oversaw the acquisition of a 1948 television studio in Hollywood that became the Academy Film Archive, cementing two major film preservation achievements.
- After retiring, Davis published "The Academy and the Award," a book about the origins and history of the Oscars.
- Born in Washington D.C., Davis founded the film department at Juniata College and studied filmmaking at Columbia University, and was known at the Academy for his Friday Lunch tradition with staff across departments.
Why it matters: Davis's 22-year tenure produced the Academy's two cornerstone cultural institutions — the Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive — meaning the physical backbone of Oscar-era film research and preservation traces directly to his deals with Beverly Hills and Hollywood property owners. His post-retirement book also gave the Academy one of its few comprehensive historical records.
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