FILE - In this March 3, 2006 file photo, Oscars show producer Gil Cates takes questions from the press during a news conference outside of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)
FILE - In this March 3, 2006 file photo, Oscars show producer Gil Cates takes questions from the press during a news conference outside of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2005 file photo, Oscars producer Gil Cates, surrounded by place-saving celebrity placards, watches from the audience during rehearsals for the 77th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, file)
FILE - In this May 2, 2011 file photo, Oscars show producer Gil Cates arrives at the Geffen Gala at the Geffen in Westwood, Calif. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2005 file photo, Oscars producer Gil Cates motions to a sound technician during a rehearsal at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2005 file photo, Oscars producer Gil Cates sits in the production truck prior to the 77th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Cates, 77, who produced a record 14 Academy Awards telecasts and founded the Geffen Playhouse and the School of Theater Film and Television at UCLA, has died. The Directors Guild of America confirmed the death Tuesday. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, file)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Producer and director Gilbert Cates, who oversaw a record 14 Academy Awards ceremonies and founded the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, has died. He was 77.
Cates collapsed on the UCLA campus Monday evening. Emergency personnel responded but were unable to revive him, officials said Tuesday. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Cates last produced the Oscar telecast in 2008, when the ceremony was almost sidelined by the Writers Guild strike.
He was comfortable at the helm of the show, calling it "an absolutely great job." He produced more Academy Awards telecasts than anyone else and brought in comedians such as Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart and Steve Martin to host the show.
Martin tweeted his condolences Tuesdsay. "So sorry to hear Gil Cates has died," Martin wrote. "He helmed two Oscar shows I hosted. He was delightful, wise, canny and unperturbed. A great fellow."
Singer Josh Groban also shared his thoughts on Twitter, writing, "So sad to hear of the passing of legendary tv producer Gil Cates. He gave me many great opportunities and was always extremely kind. RIP."
Academy President Tom Sherak said Cates was a colleague, friend and a "consummate professional."
Cates "gave the academy and the world some of the most memorable moments in Oscar history," Sherak said in a statement. "His passing is a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry, and our thoughts go out to his family."
Cates founded the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. He was its dean from 1990 to 1998 and remained on the faculty as a professor.
Teri Schwartz, dean of the School of Theater, Film and Television, cited Cates as a "beloved mentor, colleague and friend."
"Today we mourn our great loss but also celebrate Gil's extraordinary vision and countless contributions, not only to (the school) as founding dean and distinguished professor but to the entertainment and performing arts industries and the education of our students, who benefited from his remarkable talent, insights, generosity, experience and wisdom," she said in a statement.
Cates twice served as president of the Directors Guild of America and was on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He produced and directed films, television shows and plays on and off Broadway. His film credits include 1970's "I Never Sang for My Father" with Gene Hackman, and 1980's "Oh God! Book II" with George Burns.
He produced and directed plays at the Geffen Playhouse, where he was regarded as "our founder, our leader and our heart," according to a statement Tuesday.
"Gil has always referred to the staff of the Geffen Playhouse as his second family," said board chairman Frank Mancuso. "And it is as a family that we mourn this tremendous loss. Gil built this theater and he will forever be at the center of it - we honor his life by continuing the fulfillment of his dream. As my dear friend Gil would no doubt say, 'onward and upward with the arts.'"
Cates is survived by his wife, Dr. Judith Reichman, four children, two stepchildren and six grandchildren.
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