Former CBS and Disney TV executive James Stark Bennett dies at 78

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James Stark Bennett II, the television executive famed for creating the talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” has passed away at the age of 78.

Bennett, who went by Jamie, died July 6 after a fight with cancer, according to his family.

For over a dozen years, he worked for CBS, holding executive positions at their television and radio outposts in San Francisco and Chicago. Subsequently, he moved to Los Angeles and took on the roles of vice president and general manager at KCBS-TV.

After that, Bennett transitioned to The Walt Disney Company, where he held the position of senior vice president at Buena Vista Television Productions. In this role, he was responsible for creating popular shows like “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” “Siskel & Ebert,” and the game show “Win, Lose or Draw.

Subsequently, he held the positions of president and CEO at ACI, a television and film distribution company based in Los Angeles. Following ACI’s acquisition by Pearson Television, headquartered in Britain, in 1995, Bennett and his family relocated to London, where he oversaw the global production operations for the company.

I ultimately returned to my beloved Los Angeles, where I immersed myself in volunteer work and broadened my professional horizons by assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Here, I played a significant part in assisting the school to establish its permanent home within L.A.’s Arts District, as my family proudly shared. Additionally, I served on the board of the Ojai Music Festival and later ascended to the position of President and CEO for a five-year tenure until 2020.

Bennett was born on June 1, 1947, in the bustling city of New York. Later, he completed his education at UC Berkeley and ran a student-led summer program in Washington, D.C. During this time, he also began his media journey as the head of the university’s radio station. After earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, he returned to New York and joined CBS, marking the start of his successful career in media.

After some time, he and his wife, Carolyn, ultimately bought a 11-acre farm in Ojai, where they settled permanently. Bennett leaves behind his wife, Carolyn, their three kids, and other relatives.

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2025-07-20 23:31