Bruce Paltrow

Paltrow was born in Brooklyn, the son of Dorothy (née Weigert) and Arnold Paltrow (né Paltrowitz).^[3] He had a brother, Robert. He was a first cousin of Spencer J. Giffords, father of Gabby Giffords, who became an American politician and member of the United States House of Representatives. His family was of Eastern European Jewish descent^[4] with roots in Minsk. His paternal great-grandfather, whose surname was Paltrowicz, was a Rabbi in Novogrudok.^[5] His father and mother owned Paltrow Steel Company and a home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Paltrow studied painting at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the late 1960s, he began directing stage productions in New York City, where he met actress Blythe Danner. They were married from December 14, 1969, until his death.

He was the producer of the television series The White Shadow and St. Elsewhere. His last production was the film Duets, which starred his daughter Gwyneth.^[6]

He also owned a restaurant in Aspen called Gordon's.^{[citation needed]}

Paltrow identified himself as a Democrat. He reportedly refused to cast Dwight Schultz for a role on St. Elsewhere because the actor, a political conservative, supported Ronald Reagan.^[7][8]

Paltrow died on October 3, 2002, aged 58, while vacationing in Rome, Italy, to celebrate his daughter's 30th birthday. He had been diagnosed with oral cancer in 1999;^[9] his death was due to complications from oral cancer and pneumonia.

In 2007, his widow Blythe Danner, in co-operation with The Oral Cancer Foundation, set up a fund in his name to address oral cancer issues in the United States.^[10] The foundation works primarily in the areas of public awareness, early detection, patient support functions and research.

In 2002, three weeks after Paltrow's death, his daughter Gwyneth met Coldplay singer Chris Martin, whom she married in 2003. The 2005 Coldplay album X&Y carried a dedication to Bruce Paltrow, and the song "Fix You" was written to help Gwyneth through her grief.^[11]