Frank Capra Jr., N.C. studio head

State film industry owes much to him

Frank Capra Jr., whose family legacy and love for Wilmington helped make North Carolina a national player in the film industry, has died after a long fight with prostate cancer. He was 73.

Capra, the son of Frank Capra, the legendary director of "It's A Wonderful Life," died Wednesday night at a hospital in Philadelphia, said Bill Vassar, executive vice president of Wilmington's EUE Screen Gems Studios.

The younger Capra was president of EUE Screen Gems, a studio he persuaded producer Dino De Laurentiis to build in 1984. The studio has since grown into the nation's largest film production center east of California.

With Capra at the helm, EUE Screen Gems produced movies including "28 Days," "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," "Domestic Disturbance," "Black Knight" and "A Walk to Remember." It also was home to TV teen soap operas "Dawson's Creek" and the current "One Tree Hill."

"He played a big role in helping get those films [and TV shows] here in North Carolina and helping them stay," said Aaron Syrett, director of the N.C. Film Office. "Frank certainly learned from the best and always will be a well-respected person in this industry."

Syrett said Capra helped get better tax incentives for filmmakers in North Carolina.

"Certainly when Frank went to speak to legislators, they listened because they knew Frank knows the industry, and what would make this industry work in North Carolina," Syrett said. "He was key."

And then there was that name.

"People, when they heard the name 'Frank Capra,' you'd see their eyes just light up, and certainly when Frank walked into the room, you knew he was there," Syrett said.

Vassar cited Capra's "abilities to open doors in Los Angeles that wouldn't open without somebody of his stature. Those relationships attracted people to come and do business here."

Last year, some feared Capra might leave North Carolina for an entertainment complex in Connecticut. But he stayed, saying he was "very ensconced" in the Tar Heel state.

"I think when he first came, he just fell in love with the area," Syrett said. "The beach, the beauty of North Carolina, the landscape. And then after that, he found the people of North Carolina. ... I think that's probably what kept him here."

Capra was a visiting professor at UNC-Wilmington, and he won the school's Citizen of the Year Award this year. He helped bring the Scene First all-student film festival to Wilmington this year.

"He wanted to help everybody," Syrett said. "If you were interested in film, Frank would stop and talk to you and give you advice."

Funeral arrangements were pending Thursday. Vassar said a memorial service will be held in Wilmington in January.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)