Zev Buffman

Buffman’s parents fled Ukraine during the Russian Revolution, settling in Tel Aviv, in what was then called Palestine, where he was born on Oct. 11, 1930. His father owned several movie theaters and Buffman, after serving in the Israeli Army, felt the call of Hollywood. He eventually realized his true talent was pulling strings behind the scenes — forging connections, restoring theaters, building empires and producing shows. Throughout his career, his plays and musicals were nominated for nearly 30 Tony Awards. Buffman had an impact on the Tampa Bay arts scene long before taking over Ruth Eckerd Hall. A pioneer in the world of touring Broadway shows, he ran a subscription series for musicals at the Mahaffey Theater, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (now the Straz Center) and other Florida theaters. Buffman got his start in entertainment as an extra in “The Ten Commandments,” where he worked under Cecil B. DeMille, and could regale you with stories about legends he worked with — Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Muhammad Ali, Paul McCartney, Julie Andrews, Andrew Lloyd Weber and many more. He was close to Taylor and reunited her with ex Richard Burton in Noel Coward’s “Private Lives.” For decades, Buffman worked out of South Florida, where he purchased Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse in 1962 and later ran Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse and Miami Beach’s Jackie Gleason Performing Arts Center, During his 21 years as the Parker Playhouse’s producer, he gave Elizabeth Taylor her stage debut in “The Little Foxes” in 1981. Taylor would earn a Tony nomination that year when she played the part on Broadway. In 1988, Buffman partnered with Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison to found the Miami Heat. The theatrical business he sold in 1988 morphed over time into Broadway Across America, which sells millions of tickets to touring musicals and plays each year. Between 1990 and 1994, he partnered with billionaire entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga to build giant amphitheaters in Charlotte, Phoenix, West Palm Beach and Southern California. Those venues, through a series of sales and mergers, eventually ended up in the hands of Live Nation, which now operates dozens of such amphitheaters — including Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre — across the country. Buffman’s survivors include his wife Velma, several children and grandchildren.