Burton Monasch; Entertainment Lawyer

Burton (Buddy) Monasch, 68, entertainment lawyer brought into 20th Century Fox as top negotiator by Marvin Davis. A Yale-trained New York lawyer, Monasch came to Los Angeles and Fox at Davis’ behest in 1982, becoming executive vice president in charge of the studio’s 70-member legal department. Among the deals he negotiated for Davis, a college friend from New York University, was the sale of the Beverly Hills Hotel to the Sultan of Brunei. Maintaining his New York office, Monasch stayed on in Hollywood after he left Fox in 1985, practicing law with the firm of Monasch & Plotkin and serving as senior vice president of Davis Cos. Among the clients Monasch represented over the years from both coasts were Judy Garland, David Merrick and Stan Getz. With lawyer colleagues Robert L. Shapiro and Howard Weitzman, Monasch was a partner in Eclipse Restaurant in West Hollywood. His contributions to the entertainment industry were publicly acknowledged when Matteo’s restaurant added to its menu the special dish “Steak and Peppers Buddy Monasch.” On Saturday in Los Angeles of a brain tumor.