Jeff Margolis, Emmy-Winning Director and Producer of Live Event Broadcasts, Dies at 78

Jeff Margolis, a TV producer and director who specialized in live events from the Oscars to the Emmys and SAG Awards, died Friday. He was 78.

Over four decades, Margolis directed some of TV’s biggest events, including presidential galas and specials for entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Midler and Cher.

“Jeff Margolis created some of the most unforgettable moments in awards show history, and we are grateful that the Screen Actors Guild Awards was among them. For over 16 years, Jeff helped shape the telecast into a celebration worthy of the actors it honors. We are profoundly grateful for his contributions and will miss him dearly,” said the SAG Awards Committee in a statement.

He started out in the business holding cue cards for his uncle, Monty Hall, on “Let’s Make a Deal.”

Margolis directed 22 American Music Awards, eight Academy Awards, seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Emmys, three Golden Globes Red Carpet Specials and two Academy of Country Music Awards telecasts.

His other credits include “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” and two Christmas in Rockefeller Center specials.

Among his accolades were two Directors Guild of America Awards for directing the Oscars, six Emmy nominations for his direction of the Academy Awards between 1991 and 1996, and Emmy wins for the 1995 Oscars and Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration.

Serving as executive producer, Margolis brought his expertise and creative energy to the Screen Actors Guild Awards for 16 years.

His company Jeff Margolis Productions packaged and produced entertainment and reality series for network, syndication, and cable television, including NBC’s “Fame” and VH1’s “In Search of the Partridge Family.”

Jeff Margolis often said, “The thrill I get when I’m directing is indescribable…I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and go to work,” according to his obituary statement.

In 2020, he released his memoir “We’re Live in 5: My Extraordinary Life in Television,” with a foreword by Billy Crystal.

He is survived by his children, Adam, Erin, and Samantha and grandchildren Max and Milo.