Leonard Franklin Hill – 50th Reunion Essay

Leonard Franklin Hill

Date of Death: 7-Jun-2016

College: Silliman

(This memorial appeared in the Nov/Dec 2016 Class Notes.)

Len Hill died on June 7, 2016, after a courageous battle with brain cancer.

From his obituaries in Variety and the Los Angeles Times: Len began his career as a writer on Adam-12. After working at Paramount, Universal TV, and MTM, he joined NBC as an executive in the drama series department. He later joined ABC as VP of movies, where he supervised The Jericho Mile and Amber Waves. Throughout his career he produced over 45 television movies, including Freedom starring Mare Winningham; Having It All; Frank Nitti: The Enforcer; and Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story. He worked on dramatic series including Tucker’s Witch and the two-part mini-series on Jack the Ripper (CBS, 1988). Aside from Leonard Hill Films, he was also the founder of independent television distribution company Allied Communication.”

Len’s second career was as a real estate developer. Though he had joined the Los Angeles Conservancy in 1986, and became a board member in 1993, he had little experience in construction or real estate development. Yet he started with a project that even experts would consider challenging—he invested in a seven-story bankrupt factory in the arts district, which, at the time, was flanked with tent encampments and hosted a lively open-air prostitution market. Despite difficulties, the Toy Factory Lofts were completed in 2004, and the Biscuit Company Lofts followed a couple years later. Len told his partner, “Here is an abandoned part of the city. We have an opportunity to do something about it. It’s a serious responsibility, and it has to be done right and it has to last.”

Earlier this year, Hill partnered with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti to create the Leonard Hill arts plaza. Hill served on the board of the California Film Commission, the Los Angeles Conservancy, Common Cause, and the Caucus of Producers, Writers, and Directors. He also created the Leonard Hill Foundation to help underprivileged citizens of Los Angeles. Len also supported the Yale Art Gallery with several gifts of paintings from his private collection. Besides his wife Patty, he is survived by brothers Andrew Hill and Rick Hill. Those of us who knew Len will miss his humor, intelligence, and commitment to making the world a better place.