Biography
Frank Konigsberg was one of the most respected talent managers and television producers worldwide. Born in 1933, he graduated from several law schools.
He began his career as a lawyer for CBS and later worked for the International Famous Agency, becoming Bing Crosby's agent. In 1975, he joined ICM Partners before founding his own production company, The Konigsberg Company, which focused on specials, TV series, TV movies, and miniseries. His producing debut was the special "Bing... A 50th Anniversary Gala" in 1977, followed by his first TV movie, "Calling Doctor Storm, M.D."
In 1980, The Konigsberg Company signed a three-year deal with 20th Century-Fox, overseeing numerous productions Konigsberg brought to Fox, including "Breaking Away," "Hardcase," "Divorce Wars: A Love Story," "Coming Out of the Ice," and "It's Not Easy." The company also produced the feature films "Joy of Sex" and "9 1/2 Weeks."
In 1983, The Konigsberg Company was sold to Telepictures, with Konigsberg becoming president of production. Larry Sanitsky, recently from Highgate Pictures, joined Telepictures as vice president of creative affairs and later became a producing partner. During their time at Telepictures, they produced long-form TV movies such as "Wet Gold," "The Glitter Dome," "Surviving," "Right to Kill," "Act of a Vengeance," "As Summers Die," and "Strong Medicine," along with the miniseries "Ellis Island" and the soap opera "Rituals." Konigsberg and Sanitsky also acquired the rights to Stephen King's novel "It," which was optioned by producers Jim Green and Allen Epstein.
In 1986, following the merger of Lorimar and Telepictures, Konigsberg and Sanitsky left to establish their independent production company, The Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company. There, they produced long-form TV movies including "Casanova," "Onassis: The Richest Man in the World," "Dance 'Til Dawn," "Where's the Hell That Gold?!?," "Babycakes," "Rock Hudson," "Paris Trout," and "Oldest Living Conference: Widow Tells It All," as well as two Stephen King miniseries, "It" and "The Tommyknockers." In 1993, they attempted a transition into TV series with "Angel Falls," which was canceled after only a few episodes.
In 1989, The Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company, along with rival telemovie producers Von Zerneck/Sertner Films, Leonard Hill Films, The Steve Tisch Company, The Avnet/Kerner Company, Michael Jaffe/Spectacor Films, Steve White Productions, and Robert Greenwald Productions, launched Allied Communications Inc. to distribute their productions independently. This entity was sold to Pearson plc in 1995 and became part of Pearson Television.
In 1994, Konigsberg and Sanitsky parted ways; Konigsberg revived The Konigsberg Company, while Sanitsky joined CBS as executive vice president. Under The Konigsberg Company, productions included the miniseries "Children in the Dust" and long-form TV movies such as "Shadows of Desire," "Deadly Pursuits," "Sweet Temptation," and "A Face to Die For." After Sanitsky left CBS in 1995, the two resumed collaboration, working on projects like "A Loss of Innocence," the miniseries "Titanic," and both "The Last Don" and "The Last Don II." Additionally, Konigsberg's company independently produced TV movies "The Price of Heaven," "Belle Mafia," and "Deep in the Heart."
In 2000, Konigsberg partnered with agency executive Drew Smith to rebrand as Konigsberg/Smith Productions. Together, they produced "Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes" and "Caught in the Act." Konigsberg was also credited as a producer on "Living in Fear." After parting ways in the mid-2000s, Konigsberg returned to using The Konigsberg Company name, producing long-form TV movies such as "Sex and Lies in Sin City," "Lies in Plain Sight," "William & Kate," "Of Two Minds," "Meddling Mom," and "Away and Back," as well as the miniseries "Ben Hur" and feature films "Hard Times" and "All Roads Lead to Home."
Frank Konigsberg passed away from a heart attack on November 14, 2016. Three years after his death, both Konigsberg and Sanitsky were involved in a lawsuit against Warner Bros., asserting their claim to the rights of the book "It," which they had held while running Telepictures in the mid-1980s.
