Joseph Richard Vogel (September 7, 1895 – March 1, 1969) was an American executive best known for his stint at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a reign as president from 1956 to 1963.
[1] Ben-Hur, which Vogel had insisted be made against the will of the board, was the second highest-grossing film of all time behind the studio's Gone With the Wind and helped make the company profitable again.
[5] However he also oversaw a number of expensive flops, such as the remakes of Cimarron (1960), Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1961), and especially Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), which ultimately caused millions in losses.
[5] Vogel was forced to resign in January 1963, replaced by Robert O'Brien and was moved upstairs to the role of chairman.
[1] He had surgery for brain cancer and died at Palm Beach hospital on March 1, 1969, of a heart attack.