He started out in the construction business, first in Chicago and then in Southern California after moving west in 1952. sci-fi classic “Blade Runner.”īorn in Chicago in 1923, Goldsmith came to banking as a second career. It also financed, among other films, the L.A. Entertainment has always been a focus for City National, which still has clients in the film, music and theater business.Īmong its clients over the years were Mary Tyler Moore’s production company, Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Goldsmith attributed the bank’s success to its willingness to provide concierge service, especially to its roster of celebrity clients and to the lawyers, managers and accountants who handle celebrities’ finances. Most famously, one of its earliest customers was Frank Sinatra, who relied on the bank for the $240,000 demanded of the singer when his son was kidnapped in 1963. The bank had an association with Hollywood long before he took over in 1975. And we have always done precisely that – give people the courtesy of respecting them.” “If they’re entitled to a loan the officers should lend them money, and if they’re not entitled they shouldn’t lend them money,” he said. In a 2012 profile, Goldsmith told The Times he had a basic approach to banking rooted in conservative lending and in treating customers with respect.
