Michael Jay (Mike) Rauch, film producer and longtime Showtime executive, died July 2 at his home in Studio City after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 69.
Born in Troy, NY, Rauch graduated from New York University with a major in Art. He began his entertainment industry career shortly thereafter, landing a spot in the DGA trainee program where he worked on such films as The French Connection and The Godfather. For the next 20 years, he worked consistently in New York, wracking up credits that included stints as production supervisor on Cotton Club, unit production manager on Live And Let Die, Eddie Macon’s Run, and Brewster’s Millions, and assistant director on Superman, Dressed To Kill, Last Embrace and Simon among many other films and TV series. Rauch went on to work as a producer on the features Blue Steel, Reversal Of Fortune, and Point Break.
He moved West to Los Angeles in 1992 where he produced the television miniseries Wild Palms. The following year Rauch joined Showtime, where he remained until he retired in 2008 as EVP of Production. During his tenure there he supervised production of more than 140 films and numerous series including Queer As Folk, The L Word, and The Tudors.
