Gray Frederickson, Academy Award-Winning Godfather Part II Producer, Dies at 85

Gray Frederickson, an Oscar-winning producer known for his decades-long collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola, has passed away at the age of 85. The news was confirmed via Frederickson’s wife, Karen, who told The Hollywood Reporter that he died on Sunday, November 20th at his home in Oklahoma City. Frederickson reportedly died after a battle with prostate cancer. Over his long career in the industry, his work included The Godfather Part II, for which he won an Oscar at the 47th Academy Awards, as well as Apocalypse Now, UHF, The Outsiders, and The Virgin Suicides. 

Born on July 21, 1937 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Frederickson first entered the entertainment world as a teenager, being an usher at his hometown’s Lakesside Theater. He began producing Italian projects like 1963’s Natika, and served as a production manager on 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. After working with Al Ruddy on Little Fauss and Big Halsy and Making It, the duo would go on to partner with Coppola on The Godfather.

In total, Frederickson would produce four more of Coppola’s films, One From the Heart, The Outsiders, The Godfather Part III, and Distant Vision. He would also work on Eleanor Coppola’s Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, and Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides.

“I got on a winning horse. I was with Francis Coppola, who’s no slouch. I was lucky enough to be carried along with him,” Frederickson explained in a 2021 interview with The Oklahoman. “I got lucky with him, but he says he got lucky with me. So, maybe that’s good.” 

Frederickson became a memorable part of the Oklahoma film scene, in part thanks to his and Coppola’s work on the Oklahoma-set The Outsiders. When moving back to Oklahoma in 1999, he soon joined the Oklahoma City Community College, and helped launch its film production program. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in late 2019. Rachel Cannon, co-founder and co-CEO of Prairie Surf Media studios in Oklahoma City, called him “the godfather of Oklahoma film — absolute pun intended.”

“He was loved by everyone who he has touched throughout the years by teaching kids how to make movies in his production business class at OCCC and inspiring feature filmmakers,” his son, Tyler, said.

Our thoughts are with Frederickson’s family, friends, and fans at this time.