Paul Eckstein, who produced the 1997 MGM film Hoodlum and co-created the Epix/MGM+ drama Godfather of Harlem with his writing partner, Chris Brancato, has died. He was 59.
Eckstein died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday, according to a statement from MGM+ and ABC Signature. He was in Jamaica, where he was teaching a screenwriting workshop for Strike Star Entertainment.
We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our brilliant colleague Paul Eckstein, the co-creator and executive producer of Godfather of Harlem and a beloved member of the MGM+ and ABC Signature families,” the companies said. “Working on the series was a labor of love for Paul, who based the show in part on his family’s personal history.
“Paul was passionate, a creative force, known for his kindness and generosity. He was a mentor and friend to many, and he will be dearly missed.”
Eckstein also led the writer’s room on the first year of the 2015-17 Netflix drama Narcos (co-created by Brancato) and wrote and produced the 2016 Disney/ABC biblical epic Of Kings and Prophets on location in South Africa.
His other writing credits include Showtime’s Street Time and USA’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent and The Dead Zone.
Forest Whitaker stars as a mobster in Godfather of Harlem, which premiered in 2019 and has run for three seasons.
Born in Brooklyn — his mom and dad were both educators — Eckstein graduated from Brown University with degrees in international relations and creative writing, then became a founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company.
He went on to act and appeared in David Fincher’s Seven (1995), twice on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1997-99, and five times on Star Trek: Voyager in 1998-2001.
Hoodlum, set in 1930s Harlem, starred Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, and Vanessa Williams and was directed by Bill Duke.
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