Barry Beckerman; Screenwriter, Producer

Barry Beckerman, who won a Golden Globe award for writing the 1977 television movie “Raid on Entebbe,” has died. He was 53.

Beckerman died Wednesday in Los Angeles of cancer.

He also produced motion pictures, including “Red Dawn” in 1984 starring Patrick Swayze.

A native of New York, Beckerman studied at the University of Vermont and in Paris, and then began his career with a New York literary agency. He moved into film work when he supervised literary acquisitions for Paramount Pictures in New York, including “The Godfather” and “True Grit.”

Beckerman moved to Los Angeles in 1969 to work for Warner Bros. Pictures. There he supervised the acquisition and development of such films as “Klute,” “The Exorcist” and “Dirty Harry.”

As a screenwriter, Beckerman also wrote the 1973 film “Shamus,” which starred Burt Reynolds.

During the early 1980s, Beckerman worked with Polygram Pictures, helping Peter Guber with the “Batman” movies and serving as creative consultant on the television series “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.”

Beckerman is survived by his father, Sidney; two sisters, Janis Fishkin and Maris Beckerman, two nephews and a niece.

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday at Hillside Memorial, 6001 Centinela Ave.

The family has requested that any memorial donations be made to the Israel Cancer Research Fund.