Beleaguered head of motion picture home resigns

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David Tillman, the beleaguered head of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, has resigned.

The fund, which operates the motion picture nursing home and hospital that are slated to close, said board member Bob Beitcher, a former chief executive of Panavision, would replace Tillman on an interim basis until a successor could be found.

Tillman headed the fund for a decade but came under sharp criticism over his handling of the board’s decision a year ago to close the long-term care facility and hospital in Woodland Hills. The decision created an uproar among the more than 100 residents and their families, who said the action was unnecessary and violated the charity’s mission of ‘taking care of our own.’

The board said the facilities were losing millions each year and that the charity, which provides other social and medical services to the Hollywood community, could no longer afford to operate them. Many of the residents have refused to leave, and about 60 remain in the nursing home.

‘We are grateful to Dr. Tillman for his stewardship of the fund. He has presided over a vast and complex healthcare and social-service organization during challenging times with loyalty and dedication,’’ said Frank Mancuso and Joe Fischer, chairman of the fund’s corporate and fund boards, in a statement.

-- Richard Verrier