Gilbert “Gil” Cates (born June 6, 1934) is an American film director and television producer. He is probably best known for producing the annual Academy Award shows. In September 2007, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that he would be producing the 80th Academy Awards, his 14th time. The awards took place on Sunday February 24, 2008. Cates directed a number of feature films including I Never Sang for My Father (1970) and Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973), Oh, God! Book II (1980) and The Last Married Couple in America (1980). Cates was born Gilbert Katz in New York City, the son of Nina (née Peltzman) and Nathan Katz, who was a dress manufacturer. There he attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He is the uncle of noted actress Phoebe Cates and a brother of the producer and director Joseph Cates, with whom he collaborat...read more