Tony Amatullo, ‘The Goonies' Location Manager & Warner Bros. VP, Dies at 76

Anthony "Tony" Eugene Amatullo Jr. has died at 76. His son, Nico Amatullo, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.

Amatullo had a long, illustrious career in film and television. He worked as a location manager for films such as The Goonies and The Color Purple and as an associate producer for hit shows like Fame and Miami Vice.

He served as a line and executive producer for many projects and was a member of the Directors Guild of America.

Amatullo became Vice President of Production at Warner Bros. from 2000 to 2005. During this period, he worked on projects including ER, The West Wing, Third Watch, and the pilot episode of Nip/Tuck.

He grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. Amatullo received a bachelor's degree in Film, Cinema, and Video Studies from the City University of New York before moving to Los Angeles.

Amatullo died on Sunday, May 3, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan from acute myeloid leukemia. He received a diagnosis last August.

"Tony often compared producing to walking a tightrope - balancing creativity, logistics and big personalities," his family shared in a statement. "It was a challenge he embraced wholeheartedly, bringing both a passion for storytelling and a steady hand to every project throughout his career."

Amatullo's final project was the 2021 film, Surviving On LES, which discussed the gentrification of Manhattan's Lower East Side. It was his directorial debut.

"Tony found joy in the day-to-day moments of life," his family wrote, "gardening, making the perfect pizza at his home in Pasadena, taking long walks through downtown Manhattan, swimming daily, fishing and hunting for antiques and hidden treasures in the many flea markets he visited around the world. … He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all those who loved him."

Amatullo is survived by his wife, MarianaVictoria, whom he met on a tour bus in Japan, and his two sons, Nico and Leonardo.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 9:15 PM.