Julian Myers, a longtime Hollywood film publicist who taught entertainment publicity at UCLA Extension, died on Dec. 21 of congestive heart failure in Marina del Rey. He was 95.
Myers worked in the film business for more than 75 years and served as a publicist for stars like Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Elvis Presley. After working for several major film companies, Myers founded his own firm, Julian F. Myers Public Relations.
Drawing on more than half a century’s worth of experience in the film industry, he taught entertainment publicity at UCLA Extension for more than 30 years.
“He was one of the most positive and enthusiastic individuals you could ever meet,” said Henri Bollinger, a coworker of Myers’ at UCLA Extension who knew Myers for over 50 years
Bollinger said Myers’ experiences and enthusiasm inspired students to become interested in public relations.
Gene Schwamok,
who worked with Myers for more than 10 years at the firm Hanson & Schwam and knew him for about 50 years, said that Myers was an example for other publicists because of the love he had for his job and the people he worked with.
“If they had an Academy Award for being a good human being, Julian would win,” Schwam said.
Eric Myers, Julian Myers’ son, said his father always retained a youthful spirit, which allowed him to connect with his three children and be a loving father. He said some of his favorite stories involved his father’s comebacks at jokes and unexpected humor.
“I can speak on behalf of Hollywood and those who knew him when I say that he was a gentle soul,” Eric Myers said. “He believed in the best in people, and he always tried to get the best out of them.”
A native of Detroit, Myers moved to Los Angeles in 1937 to attend the USC Film School, which was then known as the USC Cinematography School.
After his time at USC, Myers worked for Technicolor and Columbia Pictures before joining the 20th Century Fox publicity department. Myers worked at Fox for 13 years, during which he collaborated with some of the biggest names in show business.
On a typical workday, Myers organized press commitments for stars, publicized movies and created promotional stunts for movies, the latter of which became a large part of his Hollywood reputation
At Fox, as Marilyn Monroe’s publicist, he was often tasked with waking up Monroe to get her to her press commitments.
“I was the only guy trying to get (Marilyn Monroe) out of bed,” Myers once said.
Myers received the Publicists Guild’s Robert Yeager Award in 1978 for excellence outside of his professional field, and the Les Mason Award in 1980 for his outstanding work as a publicist.
Aside from the professional awards, however, Bollinger said Myers was also known for the personal handwritten notes he sent to colleagues and friends after doing business or simply to stay in contact.
“The Julian Myers handwritten note became famous within the industry,” Bollinger said.
In his senior years, Myers stayed active by regularly competing in marathons and athletic competitions. He completed marathons in Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Greece, Eric Myers said.
At last year’s Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah, Myers set a record for his age category in the 800-meter sprint at one minute and 19 seconds.
“He loved challenging himself at all times, and that’s probably why he never slowed down as he got older,” Eric Myers said.
Myers was a father of three children with his first wife, Ruth Schultz, with whom he was married for 25 years. Myers was later married to attorney Patsy Nanna Myers until her death in October 2013.
“Julian was the most honest, devoted husband to Patsy,” Schwam said. He added that Myers would take time out of every morning to have coffee and spend time with his wife.
A public memorial service will be held at the Hollywood Studio Museum on Jan. 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Myers is survived by his three children, Jon, Fredricka and Eric, along with 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.