But unlike Goldwyn and Selznick, who thrived on publicity, Mr. Stark preferred to remain out of the limelight. He gave only a handful of interviews during his career, and then only if he had an ax to grind. He issued only a few details in his official biography and was even sketchy about his age. He indicated his birth date was 1914, but gave no month or day.
A news release from Mr. Stark's family yesterday said he was born Oct. 3, 1915.
Mr. Stark's career as producer was notable for his association with Barbra Streisand. The son-in-law of Fanny Brice, Mr. Stark had long desired to dramatize the life of the great Broadway singer and comedian. He put together a stage musical, "Funny Girl," and to play Fanny, he chose Streisand, who was then establishing herself as a dynamic singer with Broadway and television appearances.
"Funny Girl" and Streisand became the hits of Broadway, with the show's premiere in New York on March 24, 1964. Mr. Stark converted it into a glittering movie, Streisand's debut film.
"Funny Girl" won Streisand an Oscar as best actress (shared with Katharine Hepburn for "The Lion in Winter"). She made three more films under her contract with Stark -- "The Owl and the Pussycat," "The Way We Were," and "Funny Lady."
Mr. Stark's films also saw Academy Awards for George Burns ("The Sunshine Boys"), Richard Dreyfus ("The Goodbye Girl"), and Maggie Smith ("California Suite").
As a producer, Mr. Stark maintained long-term relationships with directors, writers, and stars, some of whom he had represented as an agent. He made 10 films with Neil Simon, eight with Herbert Ross, five with Jackie Gleason, four with Streisand, four with John Huston, and three with Sydney Pollack.
In 1980, Mr. Stark received the Motion Picture Academy's highest prize for a producer: the Irving G. Thalberg Award for consistently high quality of production.
Referring to the legendary MGM production head, presenter Kirk Douglas remarked, "Ray does what Irving used to do."
Mr. Stark replied: "Thank you, Kirk. I couldn't have said it better myself."
