Overview
- Wernick died Thursday in Rancho Mirage, California, with private services set for Palm Desert and a Los Angeles memorial to follow.
- He rose from the MCA mailroom to become ICM’s TV division vice president before moving into management and later partnering at Brillstein as senior executive vice president.
- His television impact included co-creating Def Comedy Jam and helping package and produce shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show and The Sopranos.
- He signed Adam Sandler at 22, served as executive producer on Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer and Bulletproof, and inspired Sandler’s Netflix film Sandy Wexler.
- He taught at USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program, volunteered in the Cedars-Sinai emergency room, and is survived by his wife Barbara, their children and grandson.