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Steve Bing in 2010
Andrew Gombert\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
By Patrick Hipes, Dominic Patten
\nDEADLINE<\/p>\n
UPDATED with comment from President Bill Clinton:<\/strong>\u00a0Steve Bing<\/a>, the film financier and philanthropist who backed hit movies from Robert Zemeckis\u2019\u00a0The\u00a0Polar Express<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Beowulf\u00a0<\/em>to the Rolling Stones concert movie\u00a0Shine a Light<\/em>, has died.<\/p>\n According to law enforcement sources, Bing jumped from a Century City building at around 1 p.m. Monday. Following standard protocol, the Los Angeles Police Department would not confirm that the individual in question was Bing. However, the description of the man in his 50s who was found dead on the scene fits that of the producer.<\/p>\n Bing, also an influential political donor, was a real estate tycoon from a family with a rich history. In 2012, he pledged a $30 million legacy gift to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years Steve Bing has been one of the most philanthropic and generous people in our industry,\u201d Jeffrey Katzenberg said at the time. \u201cHe has also been one of the most loyal supporters of the MPTF through both the good and challenging times. Now with this amazing contribution he puts us another step closer to securing our long-term goals.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton issued a statement, saying, \u201cI loved Steve Bing very much. He had a big heart, and he was willing to do anything he could for the people and causes he believed in. I will miss him and his enthusiasm more than I can say, and I hope he\u2019s finally found peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Bing\u2019s screenwriting credits including co-writing the 2003 feature film\u00a0Kangaroo Jack<\/em>. His executive producer credits include\u00a0Get Carter<\/em>\u00a0(2000),\u00a0Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World<\/em>\u00a0(2005),\u00a0Youth in Revolt<\/em>\u00a0(2009) and\u00a0Rock the Kasbah<\/em>\u00a0(2015).<\/p>\n More recently, he joined with fellow deep-pocketed financiers Ron Burkle, Terry Semel, Arnon Milchan\u2019s New Regency and James Packer\u2019s and Brett Ratner\u2019s RatPac Entertainment to finance Warren Beatty\u2019s two-decades-in-the-making Howard Hughes movie\u00a0Rules Don\u2019t Apply<\/em>, which was released in 2016.<\/p>\n He was the chairman of the production-finance company Shangri-La Entertainment, whose most recent credits include 2017\u2019s\u00a0Kingsman: The Golden Circle<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bing zealously guarded his privacy, but was \u2014 especially during the 1990s and 2000s \u2014 among the top progressive political donors, bankrolling environmental initiatives. He contributed nearly $50 million of his own money to an oil production tax that went down in defeat in 2006. He was particularly close to Clinton, having given at least $10 million to his foundation.<\/p>\n In 2009, when Clinton flew to North Korea to negotiate for the release of two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, it was Bing who picked up the tab.<\/p>\n At least when it came to public attention, Bing was much more low key than the outsized world of philanthropy and fundraising.<\/p>\n In 2000, when the Democratic National Committee was struggling to find donors to pay for the party\u2019s convention in Los Angeles that year, then-DNC fundraiser Terry McAuliffe visited Burkle\u2019s house to line up funding. McAuliffe wrote in his book that he was a bit taken aback when Bing arrived \u201cwearing ripped up old jeans and a T-shirt with holes in it.\u201d<\/p>\n McAuliffe wrote that he thought Bing might be a pool man or a gardener. When McAuliffe gave him the pitch, Bing said, \u201cAll right, I\u2019ll help you out.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, according to McAuliffe, Bing pulled out a crumpled check out of his jeans pocket, unfolded it, \u201cand had to run his hand over it a few times to get it straightened out enough to write on.\u201d Bing wrote out the figure $1,000,000.<\/p>\n Born on March 31, 1965, Bing was the grandson of Leo S. Bing, the namesake of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art\u2019s Bing Theatre. Survivors include Damian Hurley, a son he had with Elizabeth Hurley.<\/p>\n