Woody Allen producer Charles Joffe dies

Charles Joffe, the legendary Hollywood dealmaker who co-produced most of Woody Allen’s hit films, including the Oscar-winning Annie Hall and the Bafta-winning Manhattan, has died aged 78. He also managed, along with his business partner Jack Rollins, the careers of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Lenny Bruce, but it is his relationship with Allen for which he is likely to be remembered.

He first met the Jewish comic turned film director in the early 1960s when Allen was an unknown, writing jokes and sketches for US television. Joffe is credited with encouraging Allen to perform his own material as a stand-up and arranged his first movie role - a part in the movie What's Up Pussycat? in 1965.

After that, Joffe began to produce Allen's films with Take the Money and Run, and he is even credited as co-executive producer on Allen’s upcoming release, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which features Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson.

Joffe is pictured above in 1978 picking up the Best Picture Oscar for Allen's Annie Hall while Allen chose to stay away from the ceremonies. Allen reportedly valued him for his ability to stand up to Hollywood studios and power brokers to safeguard the director's artistic control over projects, a view endorsed by Robin Williams who called him the "the Beast" for his tough negotiating style. ·