British impresario moved from West End to the big screen with hits including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Hound of the Baskervilles

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The British film and theatre producer Michael White, best known for producing the Rocky Horror movie and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has died aged 80, his ex-girlfriend said on Tuesday.

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White, whose credits span theatre, film and television, died on Monday night in Ojai, California, at the home of ex-wife Louise White, the producer’s former girlfriend, Lyndall Hobbs, told the Reuters news agency.

“It would seem he died of heart failure having been told about eight weeks ago that he needed open heart surgery but he was too weak for surgery,” Hobbs, a filmmaker, said, adding that his ex-wife and son had cared for him as his “health deteriorated rapidly”.

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“Michael had an appetite for life that was unmatched in my opinion,” Hobbs said. “A unique man who put on hundreds of shows and truly was a theatrical pioneer.”

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, White began his career producing plays on London’s West End with shows such as Oh! Calcutta, The Rocky Horror Show and Annie.

He transitioned into films, producing numerous projects including the British cult classic comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1974, and The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1978.

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Most recently White was the subject of a 2013 documentary The Last Impresario, directed by Gracie Otto, which followed his exuberant life mingling with the A-list in London and featured interviews with friends and colleagues including Kate Moss and John Cleese.

Moss presented White with the Special Award, honouring lifetime achievements, at Britain’s Olivier Awards in 2014.