Noted Hollywood celebrity publicist

Press agent for stars from Steve McQueen to Clint Eastwood

Los Angeles Times

May 17, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Warren Cowan, the legendary Hollywood publicist who co-founded Rogers & Cowan public relations company, has died. He was 87.

Mr. Cowan died Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of cancer, which was diagnosed three weeks earlier, said Daniel Bernstein of Warren Cowan & Associates.

In a career that spanned more than 60 years, Mr. Cowan represented stars, including Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Steve McQueen, Natalie Wood, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, the Doors, John Wayne, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood.

"He was a giant," said Dale Olson, a veteran entertainment publicist who spent 17 years at Rogers & Cowan as a key executive.

Douglas, who met Mr. Cowan in the late '40s and later tapped him to be best man at his second wedding, said in a statement: "Warren was loved by everybody because he cared for people. I will miss him."

Rogers & Cowan was sold to a British company in 1987 and Mr. Cowan remained as chairman until resigning in 1992. Rogers, who retired in 1991, died in 1995.

Mr. Cowan opened Warren Cowan & Associates in 1994.

Until two week ago, his colleague Bernstein said, Mr. Cowan "was putting in 40-hour-plus weeks ... [and] when not in the office, he was on the phone and doing e-mails nonstop."

Mr. Cowan was married five times, twice to actress Barbara Rush.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Gilbert Cowan; his daughters, Claudia Cowan and Bonnie Fleming; his stepchildren, actresses Melissa Gilbert and Sara Gilbert and actor Jonathan Gilbert, and eight grandchildren.