No More Oscars for 'Most Powerful Man in Hollywood'

When the stage lights dimmed at the end of Sunday's Academy Awards and the cameras at the Kodak Theatre faded to black, one man - ostensibly the most powerful person in Hollywood, stood curbside with a watchful eye, until the last Oscar® toting limousine (and Prius) pulled away.

Though he would later, as in previous years, attend more post-Award parties than any entertainer past or present, he had work yet to do at the closing of his eighth consecutive Academy Awards show.

His sleep would come later, much later. For him, the night's success would not be measured by Nielsen, but rather by knowing that the famous and those who aspired to be, as well as their countless attendants, technicians and supporters, were safely home.

When Presidents, Prime Ministers, Queens and yes, celebrities counted on both your advice and acumen, it was not easy being touted globally as "The Most Powerful Man in Hollywood".

In a business that believes "who you know is what counts", the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, the late Johnny Grant, was always quick to acknowledge and greet him, never failing to introduce him to reporters as the man known to everybody in show business.

As he returns tonight to see the roll-up of the red carpet beneath his mirror-gloss shoes for the last time, it is our pleasure to both applaud and salute a man of impeccable character and unquestionable integrity who will formally retire later this year. We are proud to know him well, to have shared him with you for three decades, and most importantly to call him a mentor, colleague and friend...

By SANDY COHEN
The Associated Press
Monday, December 4, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- The most powerful man in Hollywood isn't an A-lister, but attends more movie premieres than Brad Pitt and George Clooney combined. He has no entourage, but hits enough nightspots to make Paris Hilton jealous. He's a red-carpet regular with the power to shut down any event from the Oscars on down.

Robert Gladden isn't a filmmaker or financier. He's a fireman, one of 14 in Los Angeles who inspect and oversee areas of public assembly. Gladden's territory is Tinseltown, and practically every Hollywood party, performance or premiere requires his approval.

"If the public could be endangered, we're on it," says Gladden, 54.

In the process, the slim, silver-haired fireman gets a front-row seat to some of the world's most-watched events. His interest is ostensibly safety, not celebrity, but he's had more brushes with fame than a Hollywood stylist.

"I absolutely have the coolest job," he says. "There's nothing like it because most people don't associate being a fireman with all this celebrity stuff."

Gladden trained in the Air Force, then followed his late father's footsteps into the Los Angeles Fire Department. Gladden joined in 1978, 10 years after his dad died in a blaze. He took on his current assignment in 1996.

His boss, Capt. Philip Ayala, calls him "Mr. Hollywood ... a real people person, which helps in this part of town."

What counts in Hollywood is who you know, says honorary mayor Johnny Grant, and "in show business, everybody knows Robert Gladden."

When talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel closed down Hollywood Boulevard... (read more...)

Image courtesy of City Council President Eric Garcetti.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department