An interview with the big time producer who passed on Harry Potter

You may not know the name Arnon Milchan, but you know his films: Pretty Woman, L.A. Confidential, JFK, The War of the Roses, Once Upon A Time in America, and nearly 120 others. Milchan shares the tales of his greatest hits and biggest misses, including how he passed on the Harry Potter franchise, in the October issue of Cigar Aficionado.

Milchan is the ultimate storyteller, a renaissance man with the mind of a scientist, the build of an athlete and the charm of a Hollywood star. He controls 30 companies spanning 17 countries, and is a gifted mediator who once forged a partnership between two arch-enemies; Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer. Despite his acclaimed films, he has never won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Yet his greatest goal in life is far more ambitious than winning an Oscar – it is to help bring peace to the Middle East.

Milchan reveals his greatest dreams and shares his amazing life story in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado. This is the sixth in a series of interviews featuring interesting, unique individuals who rarely, if ever, give one-on-one interviews. They include Fidel Castro, Michael Jordan, Francis Ford Coppola, General Tommy Franks and Ronald Perelman.

Cigar Aficionado is available on newsstands now. You know, it still feels good to say that, instead of just having a link!