George Henry Manasse

George Manasse, raised in Durham, North Carolina and a prominent Motion Picture and TV producer and production manager, died Friday, April 2, 2021. He was 83 years old.
Mr. Manasse contributed to the making of many important films and TV shows including The Bell Jar (1979), The Killing Floor (1984), Torch Song Trilogy (1988), Indecent Proposal (1993), and The District (TV series 2000-2002).
Mr. Manasse was born in Florence, Italy on January 1, 1938 where his parents Ernst and Marianne Bernhard Manasse were living as Jewish refugees after fleeing from Nazi Germany in 1935. Shortly after Mr. Manasse’s birth, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini began to expel German Jews from Italy. The Manasse family first went to England and Brazil, but later found permanent refuge in Durham where Mr. Manasse’s father was offered a faculty position at North Carolina Central University.
Mr. Manasse went to Durham Public Schools and entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After his sophomore year, however, he left UNC to embark on a lifelong career in theater and film in New York and later in Hollywood. He married his beloved wife Mary Stewart Minter on May 16, 1967. When he retired in 2002, he and his family moved first to Raleigh and then to Durham where he resided on Montgomery Street until his death.
Mr. Manasse is survived by living family members Daniel Ephraim Manasse (son), Patricia A. Manasse (sister-in-law), and Emily Manasse (niece). He was preceded in death by Ernst and Marianne Manasse (parents), Gabriel Manasse (brother), Mary Stewart Manasse (wife), and Jeff Manasse (nephew).
After his retirement, Mr. Manasse continued to pursue his interests in theater, film, and the arts. He was also an avid reader, deeply interested in politics, and a strong believer in social justice. He very much enjoyed walking in his neighborhood with his friends and his dog Rusty. He was much loved and will be missed by his family and friends in Durham, Kensington, Maryland, New York City, and Berlin, Germany.
The Manasse family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC.