Victor Drai

Victor Drai (born July 25, 1947) is a Franco-Americannightclub owner, entrepreneur and film producer. Drai rose to prominence in the 1980s, producing the movies The Woman in Red and Weekend at Bernie's before leaving the industry to open a string of high-profile restaurants and nightclubs.

Early life

Drai was born in Casablanca, Morocco to Jewish parents. He dropped out of school at 14 to move to Paris, France, with his family. In 1968, he launched a ready-to-wear line called Vicadam, which featured velvet jeans.

In 1974, Drai met Jacqueline Bisset on a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Paris and the two began a transatlantic relationship. Drai sold the fashion line and relocated to the United States to be with Bissett and began a new business flipping Beverly Hills mansions.

Film production

In 1982, Drai and then-girlfriend Kelly Le Brock traveled to Paris where they saw the movie Pardon Mon Affaire. With the help of David Begelman, Drai produced a remake titled The Woman in Red which was released in 1984. It starred Le Brock and Gene Wilder, who adapted the script from the original. Based on that movie's success, Drai then produced a series of comedies including another French remake, The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), and Weekend at Bernie's (1989).