Dan Talbot, Legendary Owner of the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and New Yorker Films, Has Died

Daniel Talbot, a distributor and exhibitor of near-incalculable influence over specialized exhibition and distribution as well as the international film world, died this morning in New York. His passing was confirmed by Ewneto Admassu, the longtime manager of the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas.

A memorial is scheduled for Sunday, December 31 at 9:30 am at the Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W. 76th Street in New York City.

Talbot, who was in his early 90s, had been in declining health in recent months, with his usual trips to Cannes and Toronto suspended after decades of attendance suggested he was finally slowing down. He is survived by his wife and business partner, Toby Talbot.

The last few weeks have seen Talbot’s legacy celebrated with reaction to the unexpected announcement that the six-screen Upper West Side Lincoln Plaza Cinema theater would close at the end of January, at the expiration of its lease. Millstein Properties, who have been the Talbots’ co-partners in the theater since its opening in 1981, has stated that it hopes to reopen the theater after structural work to the building, with programming in line with Talbot’s legacy.