SANTA MONICA — Robert Laemmle, who kept the Laemmle Theatres art house cinema chain going throughout Los Angeles when he took over from his father, died today at age 89, it was reported. Laemmle, known as Bob, died at the Berkley East Healthcare Center in Santa Monica, where he was receiving care after a fall at his home on Dec. 23, the Los Angeles Times reported. A cause of death was not immediately known. Born in Paris on Sept. 5, 1935, Laemmle soon came to America with his parents. His father Max Laemmle had been working for his cousin Carl Laemmle, the co-founder of Universal Pictures, in Paris before coming to Los Angeles in 1938. Max and his brother Kurt began with two theaters in Highland Park and quickly expanded their exhibition goals. Robert had initially worked as a banker but, in 1961, found himself drawn into the family business. He officially retired in 2004, but continued regularly coming into the office until the 2020 pandemic, the Times reported. File photo: A Laemmle Theatre.(Photo courtesy of Laemmle Theatres) “He loved movies,” his son, Greg, the third generation of Laemmles to run the local string of movie houses, said in an interview with the newspaper. “He did enjoy watching movies. He liked the business. He liked being Mr. Laemmle. There’s nothing better than standing in the lobby and having a patron approach you to say how much they appreciate that Laemmle Theatres exists and it shows the kinds of movies that it does.” The Laemmle chain established itself as a home for art-house movies by the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut, Pedro Almodóvar and other filmmakers who might not have otherwise had their work screened in Los Angeles, a tradition that continues today, according to the Times. Robert Laemmle is survived by his third wife, Michelle Laemmle, along with his first wife, Raquel Shantal. Laemmle’s second wife, Sunny, predeceased him in 1991. He is survived by children Greg Laemmle, Jessica Laemmle, Yvonne Ascher, Michelle Ascher, David Ascher, Carri Bisbee, Mitchell Needelman, Maitland Finley and Robert Finley, as well as 13 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending. Related Articles News Obituaries | Southern California school principal at Jimmy Carter’s funeral is touched by music, memories News Obituaries | San Fernando Valley principal will attend late President Jimmy Carter’s funeral News Obituaries | Rickey Henderson, baseball’s stolen base king, dies at age 65 News Obituaries | Joan Sparkman, longtime Temecula-area civic leader, dies at 90 News Obituaries | An icon to forgiveness, Melanie Washington dies at 69; she was a mentor and inspiration to many