Michael Gerety, who worked as a distribution executive with MGM and as a publicist who represented the likes of Julie Andrews, James Garner and Chuck Norris, died Monday in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 82.

Born on Oct 30, 1942, and raised in Freeport, Long Island, Gerety served overseas with the U.S. Navy before he was hired by MGM in 1965 as a regional advertising publicity representative, working in Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas.

He left MGM briefly to join Durwood Theaters as district manager as it began its national expansion (its theaters would ultimately be known as AMC Theaters). After a year, Gerety returned to MGM and transferred to its Culver City studios in 1972, where he remained through the merger with United Artists. When the MGM theatrical distribution arm was dissolved, he moved to American International Pictures.

In 1981, Gerety became president of Newslink Corp., an online video text news service that revolutionized the way entertainment news was gathered and instantaneously disseminated.

Gerety then shifted in 1985 to Beverly Hills-based Hanson Schwam Public Relations, where his clients also included writer-producer-directorLionel Chetwynd and writer-producer Dean Hargrove.

He left the company as an executive vp in 1999 before operating independently under his own MGPR label for the next five years.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara; his children, Patrick, who works in awards and talent relations at Netflix, and Katherine; grandchildren Westley and Faye; and siblings Sheila and David.