---
name: "Ronald L. Schwary"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ronald-l-schwary"
fi1m_id: "ronald-l-schwary"
imdb_id: "nm0777531"
tmdb_id: 4184
wikidata_id: "Q15453518"
roles: ["Producer"]
born: "23 May 1944"
died: "2 July 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-04T20:06:10.895600+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ronald L. Schwary

## Identity

Ronald L. Schwary

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ronald-l-schwary
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ronald-l-schwary
- **IMDb ID:** nm0777531
- **TMDB ID:** 4184
- **Wikidata ID:** Q15453518
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_L._Schwary, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15453518, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0777531/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4184

Producer. Born 23 May 1944 in The Dalles. Died 2 July 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer
- **Born:** 23 May 1944, The Dalles
- **Died:** 2 July 2020
- **Active:** 1980–1992
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 2 acting, 4 producing
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 76, as producer, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 76 (5), 1990s 75 (1)
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Crime 2, Mystery 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $251m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_L._Schwary, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15453518, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0777531/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4184

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Tootsie*](https://film.one/film/tootsie.md) (85), [*A Soldier's Story*](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Ronald L. Schwary was an American film and television producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture as producer of Robert Redford’s directorial debut *Ordinary People* (1980). He had previously worked as an associate producer and unit production manager on films including *The Electric Horseman* (1979).

Schwary produced *Tootsie* (1982) and *A Soldier’s Story* (1984), the latter earning a Best Picture nomination. He served as executive producer on several Sydney Pollack films, including *Absence of Malice* (1981), *Scent of a Woman* (1992), *Sabrina* (1995), *Meet Joe Black* (1998) and *Random Hearts* (1999). His television credits include executive producer on the series *Medium* (2005–2011).

Born in The Dalles, Oregon, Schwary graduated from the University of Southern California in 1967 and trained as a Directors Guild of America assistant director. He died in 2020.

*Sources: hollywoodreporter.com, deadline.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (2)

- **batteries not included* (1987), Fi1m 63, as Louie — [page](https://film.one/film/batteries-not-included.md)
- *Tootsie* (1982), Fi1m 85, as Phil Weintraub — [page](https://film.one/film/tootsie.md)

### Produced (4) — the average rests on these

- *Scent of a Woman* (1992), Fi1m 75, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/scent-of-a-woman.md)
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), Fi1m 76, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)
- *Absence of Malice* (1981), Fi1m 73, Executive Producer, Production Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/absence-of-malice.md)
- *Ordinary People* (1980), Fi1m 81, Production Manager, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/ordinary-people.md)

## Complete filmography (26)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Medium* (2005), series, Director
- *Random Hearts* (1999), Executive Producer
- *Now and Again* (1999), series, Director
- *Meet Joe Black* (1998), Executive Producer
- *The Mirror Has Two Faces* (1996), Co-Executive Producer
- *Sabrina* (1995), as Sheik · Production Manager, Executive Producer
- *Scent of a Woman* (1992), Executive Producer — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/scent-of-a-woman.md)
- *Sisters* (1991), series, Director
- *Havana* (1990), Executive Producer
- **batteries not included* (1987), as Louie · Producer — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/batteries-not-included.md)
- *Tour of Duty* (1987), series, Director
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)
- *Tootsie* (1982), as Phil Weintraub · Producer — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/tootsie.md)
- *Let's Spend the Night Together* (1982), Producer
- *Absence of Malice* (1981), Executive Producer, Production Manager — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/absence-of-malice.md)
- *Ordinary People* (1980), Production Manager, Producer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/ordinary-people.md)
- *The Cheap Detective* (1978), as Cab Driver
- *California Suite* (1978), Associate Producer, Production Manager
- *Casey's Shadow* (1978), Assistant Director
- *In the Glitter Palace* (1977), Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager
- *Shadow of the Hawk* (1976), Associate Producer
- *Breakout* (1975), Assistant Director
- *The Ultimate Thrill* (1974), as Danny
- *Dirty Mary Crazy Larry* (1974), Assistant Director
- *The Stranger Who Looks Like Me* (1974), Assistant Director
- *The Blue Knight* (1973), Assistant Director

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 1985: Best Picture (nominated), for *A Soldier's Story*
- 1981: Best Picture (won), for *Ordinary People*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ronald-l-schwary