Scholarship Honors Renowned Publicist and TSOA Alumnus

By Eric Narburgh

The list of actors Robert Garlock, TSOA ’88, represented during his career as an entertainment publicist reads like a “who’s who” of A-list Hollywood talent: Penelope Cruz, Hugh Grant, Clive Owen, Hilary Swank, Uma Thurman, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet, to name a few. Garlock also oversaw publicity campaigns for more than 40 feature films, including Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The English Patient, and The Hours. 

      Sadly, Garlock’s life and career were cut short when he passed away in September 2007 due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Now, thanks to the generosity of family, friends, and many of his celebrity clients, Garlock’s memory will live on through the Robert Garlock Memorial Scholarship at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (TSOA). 

      After Garlock passed away, his former assistant and colleague Jill Fritzo fielded requests from friends and clients on how they could express appreciation for his impact on their lives. When the donations came pouring in, Fritzo—along with Garlock’s parents, Richard and Betty—decided to establish the scholarship at TSOA, where Garlock received his B.A. in cinema studies. Garlock’s parents will contribute the remaining funds needed to endow the scholarship in perpetuity. 

      “Robert’s three loves were the movies, theatre, and education, so we wanted to pay tribute to all three,” says Fritzo. In addition to the scholarship, donations from friends and family were also used to name seats in Garlock’s honor at the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Elinor Bunin-Munroe Film Center, which will open at Lincoln Center in 2010. 

      “It was very humbling to hear how many people loved and respected him,” says Betty Garlock. In particular, she notes that Hugh Grant was a great friend to Robert for many years and made a generous contribution to the scholarship, which will be awarded to cinema studies students with financial need. 

      “It has truly been inspirational to witness the magnificent outpouring of support in Robert’s name,” says TSOA Dean Mary Schmidt Campbell. “His legacy and friendship will live on at Tisch, and I look forward to designating the first recipients of his scholarship in the near future.”

      Richard and Betty note that their son was always interested in the business of entertainment and that although he interacted with so many famous people, the glamour of Hollywood never diminished his work ethic. 

      “Robert was always someone you could trust,” Richard says. “He earned everyone’s respect. That was the kind of son we raised.”