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Mel Hoppenheim, CM, entrepreneur, philanthropist (born October 1937 in Montreal, QC; died 27 July 2022 in Montreal). Mel Hoppenheim developed Panavision Canada into the largest provider of film and television services in Canada. He also owned and operated one of the largest privately held film studios in North America. Hoppenheim was instrumental in the development of Canada’s film and television industry, and of Montreal as a major site for international productions. A noted philanthropist, he earned the nickname “Mr. Hollywood North.” He received an honorary Genie Award in 2010 and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.
Early Life
Mel Hoppenheim was born in Montreal in 1937. He grew up in the city’s historic Jewish quarter, located in the Lower Main area of the Plateau Mont-Royal borough. His father was of Polish origin while his mother was Russian. As a child he lived on St-Urbain Street, an important centre for Jewish life in the city. It was also where novelist Mordecai Richler grew up around the same time. Also like Richler and other prominent Montreal Jews (including Irving Layton, David Lewis, Herbert Marx, and Supreme Court Justice Morris Fish, among others), Hoppenheim graduated from Baron Byng High School, in 1954.
Mel’s father passed away suddenly when he was 12 years old. This forced Hoppenheim to start work at a young age to support the family meat business. Hoppenheim did so while continuing his studies, dedicating practically every hour outside of class to helping the business.This included selling his wares outside Beauty’s, the famed Montreal diner. He also worked in the evenings, making deliveries for a local shoemaker, while also working various other odd jobs.
Early Career
Well accustomed to working long hours with the family business, Hoppenheim earned his university degree at Sir George Williams University (now part of Concordia University) by attending the university’s night school.
It is said that Hoppenheim developed his business plan after a chance encounter with a film crew that was shooting a commercial in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal. A crew member related to Hoppenheim how difficult it was to obtain film equipment in Canada, which led him to begin planning for an eventual business. He worked at a slaughterhouse as a young man while he developed his business plan on the side.
In 1965 he opened his business, Panavision Canada, renting film cameras and other related film equipment. A second office opened in Toronto in 1971, while another opened in Vancouver several years later.
“Mr. Hollywood North”
Hoppenheim greatly expanded his business — and as a result, the Canadian film industry — in 1988, when he acquired the Expo Théâtre, a large cinema built for Expo 67. He went on to build five studios at this location. He then expanded his Mel’s Cité du Cinéma (now MELS Studios) with additional buildings and several more studios added in 1990. For a time, it was one of the largest privately owned and operated film and television studios in North America. It now includes 20 studios. It was purchased by Quebecor’s TVA business unit in 2015.
Hoppenheim earned the nickname “Mr. Hollywood North” because his business facilitated Hollywood productions in Canada. He further supported the film industry by attracting US and foreign investment and film development. It was reported that of Hoppenheim’s many achievements, he was most proud of the millions of dollars in economic stimulus, and the thousands of jobs, his business provided.
Philanthropy
Hoppenheim was also a major donor who contributed to the creation of Montreal’s l'Institut national de l’image et du Son (INIS). The non-profit private school develops film and television writers, directors and producers. Hoppenheim was also a supporter of the Cinemania film festival, which has presented the Mel Hoppenheim Audience Award since 1998.
Hoppenheim was involved in many other philanthropic endeavors. He was on the board of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation from 1989 until his death in 2022. He and his wife, Rosemary Schirmer, donated considerable sums to the institute. Hoppenheim served as the chair of both the Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) and the Montreal Children's Hospital board. He also served as a director of Loto-Quebec, the provincial lottery and gaming authority, as well as the Société du Havre de Montréal, a public non-profit organization that oversaw the redevelopment of Montreal’s harbour front. He and his wife were active in supporting, among others, the CHU Ste-Justine children’s hospital, the Saidye Bronfman Centre (now the Segal Centre for Performing Arts), the Jewish National Fund, the Montreal Jewish Film Festival, the Montreal Holocaust Museum, the Jewish General Hospital, and Federation CJA.
Honours and Awards
Mel Hoppenheim turned his passion for the film industry into two educational endeavors in Quebec. In 1997, he donated $1 million to Concordia University to support the cinematic arts within its school of fine arts. In recognition, Concordia named their film school after Hoppenheim later that year. It has since become the largest film school in Canada. The school also has an award in Hoppenheim’s honor.
Hoppenheim received an honorary doctorate from Concordia in 2009. He received an honorary Genie Award in 2010 for his contributions to Canadian filmmaking. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.
See also Canadian Film History: 1896 to 1938; Canadian Film History: 1939 to 1973; Canadian Film History: 1974 to Present; Canadian Film History: Notable Films and Filmmakers 1980 to Present.
