Warren Cowan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warren Cowan was born on March 13, 1921, in New York. He he attended Townsend & Harris, a school for boys on the edcuational fast track. A fellow classmate was Variety columnist Army Archerd.[1] The son of songwriter Rubey Cowan and Grace Cowan, Warren had one older brother, Stanley.
Cowan has been married for more than a decade to Barbara Gilbert-Cowan, the mother of actors Melissa Gilbert, Sara Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert. Cowan has two daughters from previous marriages: Fox News Channel reporter Claudia Cowan, and Bonnie Fleming. He has four grandchildren.
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[edit] Early Career
While attending the University of California at Los Angeles, Cowan majored in journalism and represented actress Linda Darnell. At the age of 17, carrying a full load of studies, Cowan was moonlighting as publicist for one of 20th Century Fox's biggest stars.
[edit] Rogers & Cowan
Cowan has been universally recognized as one of the most innovative and creative publicists in the history of the profession. He joined the firm established by his mentor, Henry C. Rogers, in 1946, following three years service with the United States Air Force during World War II. In 1950, he became a partner in the pioneering entertainment industry public relations firm, which then changed its name to Rogers & Cowan. He was named president in 1964.
Rogers & Cowan became the biggest entertainment PR firm in the world.[2] With a list of clients that reads like the entertainment industry's "Who's Who," Cowan has represented just about every major start during the past 50 years, from Paul Newman to Elizabeth Taylor, from Danny Kaye to Kirk Douglas, from Frank Sinatra to Tony Curtis, from Shirley MacLaine to Elton John.[3] Whenever he's been asked who is his favorite client, Cowan's stock answer was always "the next one." [4]
During his career, Cowan has represented every kind and size of client, and not just movie stars. He created publicity campaigns for giant automotive concerns, saloon singers, fashion and cosmetic companies, hotels, and resorts, airlines, motion pictures, books, and even nations. The list is endless. Just as endless is the list of of individual publicists and PR leaders - and even studio and television network heads- who began their careers working for Warren Cowan.
From the beginning, Cowan was a creative innovator. He started the first celebrity chairty-fund raisers, such as the first pro-celebrity sports event. It was a golf tournament, staged in 1950, on behalf of motion picture director Frank Borzage. He still creates and promotes events for such humanitarian organizations as the John Wayne Cancer Institute, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and The Society of SIngers.
Recognized as the man who began Hollywood's Oscar campaigns, he started with Joan Crawford's performance in 1945's "Mildred Pierce." The buzz he generated helped win her the award. Then, in 1997, he personally introduced the little known Italian actor Roberto Benigni to his already famous American peers. Benigni and his picture, "Life is Beautiful," won three Oscars that year.
In 1988, Rogers & Cowan company was sold to Shandwick Plc., an English conglomorate. "It was the right move to make in some respects, but I found that I was doing too much that was administrative and too little that was creative," Cowan said. In 1994, after a two-year non competitive period, he launched a new company, Warren Cowan & Associates, where he remains the creative center of his business.
[edit] Philanthropy
During a special ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the late President Gerald Ford presented Cowan with the United Way's prestigious Alexis de Tocqueville Award for his 17 years of outstanding volunteer efforts and called him "the most important United Way volunteer in the entertainment industry."
The ceremony focused new light on the spectrum of Cowan's contribution outside the public relations industry. For years, he has contributed his unique talent to support the activities of such civic and philanthroppic organizations as UNICEF, the Scott Newman Foundation, The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Foundation, the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis, the Young Musicians Foundation, and the United Way, where he was national committee communications chairman. He succeeded First Lady Nancy Reagan in the position in 1982.
In 1990, Cowan was honored by the Scott Newman Center at a benefit gala hosted by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in celebration of the Center's 10th anniversary of promoting drug education programs. Cowan has been associated with the Center since its inception, and serves on the board of directors. Paul Newman, in presenting the award to Cowan, said, " In the arena of public caring, he's several dimensions higher. Others may appear to occupy the limelight, but no one works with greater diligence to better effect. He adds dignity to all of us, through his effort and we become beneficiaries by honoring him."
On March 21, 2002, Cowan was honored as Mentor of the Year by the Volunteers of America at a gala event at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, at the time owned and operated by his good friend -and client- Merv Griffin.
