Bruce Paltrow

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Television and film producer Bruce Paltrow (November 26, 1943 – October 3, 2002) was born in Brooklyn, New York and studied at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the late 1960s he began directing stage productions in New York City, where he met actress Blythe Danner, whom he married in 1970.

He is probably best known as the producer of the television series The White Shadow and St. Elsewhere. He also worked on the critically acclaimed Homicide: Life on the Street. His last production was the film Duets, which starred his daughter, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Bruce Paltrow died at age 58 while vacationing in Rome, Italy, to celebrate his daughter's 30th birthday. He had suffered from oral cancer for several years, and his death was apparently due to complications from cancer and pneumonia.

He is survived by his wife, daughter, and son Jake Paltrow, who is also an actor. His daughter described his personality:

"My father had that incredible Jewish warmth, really bolstering us (Paltrow and her brother) all the time. And when you're 9 years old and you're hearing that you are the best person, it gets in there, and you think, 'OK, I'm not going to be afraid to try things, because I'm always loved no matter what.' That kills me, when I think about it. It totally breaks my heart, how lucky I am" (see[1]). Gwyneth suffered a long period of depression over her father's death.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin wrote the song Fix You for Paltrow's daughter Gwyneth, whom he later married (although other sources claim that the song was actually written by Martin after he took his dog to the vet to have it fixed). The 2005 Coldplay album X&Y carried a dedication to Bruce Paltrow.

Paltrow is a descendant of the famous Rabbi David HaLevi Segal of Kraków through the Russian rabbinical family Paltrowitch, which produced 33 rabbis over several generations.