Joe Hyams, who spent 45 years at Warner Bros handling stars such as Clint Eastwood, died May 31 in Los Angeles. He was 91.

Born on New York’s Lower East Side in 1926, Hyams started his career as a reporter for the Daily Mirror, before becoming a unit publicist at Columbia Pictures, where his first two films From Here to Eternity (1953) and On the Waterfront (1954) won Academy Awards for best picture.

Joe Hyamsphoto: The Hollywood Reporter

He moved to Los Angeles to work for Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions, the venture formed by actor Burt Lancaster, agent Harold Hecht, and producer James Hill. In 1960, Hyams signed with Warner Bros. as national advertising and publicity director. He became a VP of publicity for the studio in 1970, was promoted to senior VP in 1987 and in 1992 was named executive VP special projects.

While at Warner Bros., Hyams worked on such films as East of Eden, Bonnie and Clyde, Blazing Saddles, The Exorcist, A Star Is Born, Woodstock, Chariots of Fire, JFK, Eyes Wide Shut and Mystic River, as well as three more that took home Best Picture Academy Awards: My Fair Lady, Chariots of Fire and Unforgiven.

"Joe definitely marched to his own drum, but he was also a terrific company man,” said Robert Daly, ex-former Warner Bros. chairman, who nicknamed Hyams the "Dean of Publicity."

Eastwood called Hyams “an incredibly smart, intuitive and talented executive who played a crucial role in making my movies succeed.”