Malcolm Stuart, 76; Literary Agent Became Production Executive

Malcolm “Max” Stuart, 76, a literary agent whose clients included author Leon Uris and a production executive for Lorimar and other companies, died of cancer Sunday in Westlake Village.

Born Malcolm Sterz in Los Angeles and educated at UCLA, he went to work in the mailroom of MCA.

In 1955, Stuart joined Ingo Preminger in what became the Preminger-Stuart Agency, where, representing Uris, he helped secure publication in 1958 for the author’s epic “Exodus.” The historical account of the Palestinian war for independence, which led to the establishment of Israel as an independent country, was made into a film in 1960.

A few years later, after selling his literary agency to General Artists Corp. and working for the buyer, Stuart moved into independent production. His first film, with Jerry Lewis and Connie Stevens, was the 1966 space comedy “Way ... Way Out.”

Stuart subsequently worked for Metromedia Producers Corp., Charles Fries Productions and Lorimar Productions, serving as executive producer of such shows as the 1985 TV miniseries “Christopher Columbus.”