David Weitzner, a top Hollywood marketing executive who oversaw campaigns for such acclaimed films as They Shoot Horses Dont They, Star Wars, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and This Is Spinal Tap, has died. He was 86.

Weitzner died Sept. 1 at his home in Calabasas, it was announced by the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he spent decades teaching a Business of Entertainment class as an adjunct professor.

Raised in New York City, Weitzner began his entertainment career at Grey Advertising in Manhattan, where he rose to vice president and G.M. of its entertainment division and handled the Warner Bros. and ABC Pictures accounts. Weitzner was hired away to head worldwide marketing at ABC and Edgar Schericks Palomar Pictures International, and he steered the campaigns of such films as They Shoot Horses Dont They (1969), Sleuth (1972), The Heartbreak Kid (1972) and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974).

In 1976, he moved to Los Angeles and became vp worldwide marketing at 20th Century Fox, where he helped oversee the campaigns of blockbusters including Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979) and Breaking Away (1979).

He was hired as president of worldwide marketing for Universal Pictures in 1979 and supervised campaigns for movies including The Blues Brothers (1980), Coal Miners Daughter (1980), E.T.: The Extraterrestrial (1982) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).

Heading marketing at Embassy Pictures, Weitzner led marketing efforts for Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) and This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and launched Ingmar Bergmans Fanny and Alexander (1982), which won the Golden Globe for best foreign film, in the U.S.

When Embassy was put up for sale, he briefly returned to head marketing at Fox, where he supervised Romancing the Stone (1984) and Cocoon (1985).

Weitzner was tapped as head of worldwide marketing at Jerry Weintraubs new public company Weintraub Entertainment Group, and they acquired Luc Bessons The Big Blue (1988).

He returned to Universal as president of worldwide marketing for the MCA/Universal Studios Recreation Services Group, a post he held until 1998. There, he oversaw marketing for the theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando, Universal CityWalk and the Universal Studios Cinemas, then the top-grossing motion picture complex in the U.S.

After Universal, he taught that Business of Entertainment class and went on to become a longtime director of the schools summer program and, in 2016, chairholder of the Mark Burnett Endowed Chair for the summer production program.

Meanwhile, he was consulting on marketing and strategy for corporate and entertainment clients including Honda Motors, PepsiCo, Philips Electronics North America, the AFI and the Childrens Television Workshop.

Weitzner advocated on behalf of the Landmark School for the Learning Disabled and was recognized for that by then-Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. He also was saluted by President Clinton for his efforts on behalf of the Red Cross.

A longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he served as chairman of the MPAAs Advertising/Publicity Committee from 1979-81.

Survivors include his wife, Joan; his children, Jonathan, Dana and Jason; and his grandchildren, Sam, Tyler, and Chloe.