The personal story of Irving "Swifty" Lazar describes his friendships with such figures as Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon and how he rose from Brooklyn.!
Lazar, Irving Paul (“Swifty”)
(b. 28 March 1907 in New York City; d.
30 December 1993 in Beverly Hills, California), talent agent and host of famous post-Academy Awards parties.
Lazar was the oldest of four brothers. His parents, Samuel Mortimer and Stari DeLongpre were Russian-Jewish immigrants.
He was a super-agent, a man with vision and with enough well-connected friends to turn vision into moneymaking reality.
His father was a “butter and egg man.” Born Samuel Lazar on New York City’s Lower East Side, he changed his name to Irving Paul when he was thirteen years old because he thought it sounded more theatrical. When he was eight, his family moved to the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.
In this tough neighborhood, Lazar, who at his tallest was about five feet, four inches tall, learned to punch first and run fast.
Lazar attended Commercial High School in New York City. After graduating from Fordham University in the Bronx in 1926, he earned a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1931.
While in law school, he made his first deal: He convinced a professor to teach a cram course, hired rep