April 8, 2022
The DGA mourns the passing of UPM and Frank Capra Achievement Award recipient Phillip Goldfarb.
"With more than 30 years of continuous service as a trustee for the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans, Phil was an exceptionally dedicated leader, a strong advocate for DGA members and a thoughtful, gentle and kind man," said DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander. "His loss is deeply felt by us all."
A DGA member since 1967, Phil Goldfarb’s career in the entertainment industry began more than 50 years ago. He worked as a Unit Production Manager, Assistant Director and Producer on a wide variety of productions including Martin Scorsese’s DGA Award-nominated feature Taxi Driver; Tony Bill’s My Bodyguard, Gil Cates’s I Never Sang for My Father, and Frank Perry’s Diary of a Mad Housewife as well as television series such as The Librarians, Southland, House of Lies, Leverage, Monk, Roswell and the DGA and Emmy Award-winning series L.A. Law where he also served as Coordinating Producer.
Goldfarb’s service to the Guild began more than 30 years ago, when he was appointed as a trustee to the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans in 1988, a position he held until his passing. As his involvement with the plans grew, so did his service, including acting as Chair or Co-Chair of the Benefits Committee, service on the Legal and Delinquency Committee, and on the Finance Committee. He also held Assistant Secretary, Secretary, and Vice-Chairman offices on the Board of the Plans multiple times.
In addition to his work with the Plans, Goldfarb also served three terms as an Alternate on the Western AD/UPM Council, six times on the DGA Negotiations Committee and served on the DGA Strike Committee in 1987.
In recognition of his career achievement in the industry and service to the Guild, Goldfarb was honored with the Frank Capra Achievement Award in 2015. In an interview about receiving that award, he voiced his philosophy about giving back.
“All we really have is each other, so what we should try to do is help each other. I cannot repay the people who assisted me, they are no longer here, all I can do, out of respect for them, is to help others on their way.”