Jac Venza, ‘Great Performances’ creator, dead at 97

Jac Venza, who transformed American public television in the 1960s and ‘70s with top-notch cultural programming, passed away at the age of 97.

Deadline reported on Sunday, June 2 that the television producer known for Great Performances died on May 28 at his residence in Lyme, Connecticut.

His wife, Daniel D. Routhier, confirmed the news of his demise without revealing any cause of death.

Venza, who worked as a television producer, collaborated with other innovators to pitch the simple concept of bringing high art to the table.

He is credited with introducing Live From Lincoln Center, Great Performances, NET Playhouse, and Theater in America, following the suggestion of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dance in America.

In addition, he imported popular BBC productions like Brideshead Revisited and collaborated with composers like Leonard Bernstein and choreographers like Martha Graham and George Balanchine.

Venza, who retired in 2004, bagged 57 Emmy nominations, a record not surpassed until 2010, the PBS flagship station claimed.

He was the recipient of 10 Primetime Emmys, an International Emmy, and a Governor’s Award, both for lifetime achievement.

In 1997, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting presented him with the Ralph Lowell Award for Outstanding Achievement.