Frank Hildebrand, a producer and production manager who most recently worked on Fear the Walking Dead, has died. He was 73. Hildebrand's family confirmed to Deadline through a statement from his rep that he died following a brief illness on November 21, a little more than a week before his 74th birthday.

Born and educated in Zurich, Switzerland, Hildebrand began his filmmaking career in the UK before moving to Hollywood in the 1980s. He began his Hollywood career in the early 1980s, with his first credit as an assistant line producer on the 1981 horror thriller Savage Harvest, then went on to work on such indie films as Vice Squad (1982) and (of course) Once Bitten (1985).

He then went on to line produce and supervise on such films as Triumph of the Spirit (1989), Freeway (1996), The Hills Have Eyes (executive producer, 2006), Into the Wild (executive producer, 2007), The Runaways (2010), Fair Game (2010) and The Tree of Life (2011). In recent years, Hildebrand served as a producer on the last seven seasons of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Scott M. Gimple, an executive producer on the show, described him as "a maestro of mitigating madness & creating calm in the storm of 16 eps/yr." Hildebrand also made cameo appearances on the show, portraying a Lawton Ranger in season 6 and 'Hildy', a German-speaking councilmember, in season 8.

Throughout his career, Hildebrand also held various heads of production positions at The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Epic Entertainment and River Road Productions. He was also a member of the DGA and PGA.

Hildrebrand is survived by his wife Olivier; as well as his daughters Natacha and Briana Hildebrand, whom he shares with ex-wife Penny Karlin. The family of Hildrebrand, a passionate water skier and scuba diver, said donations made to any ocean conservancy organization "would be immensely appreciated." AMC Networks honored Hildebrand with a special dedication during the May 11, 2025, episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City. The tribute card read, "With respect and love to Frank Hildebrand, 1950–2024. From AMC and The Walking Dead Universe." Don't get any ideas, though, Frank. Stay in the grave.

SOURCES

Frank Hildebrand Dies: 'Fear The Walking Dead' & 'Into The Wild' Producer Was 73, by Glenn Garner Associate Editor; February 8, 2025 10:25am (Deadline.com, ).

Remembering Frank Hildebrand: A Legacy in Film & TV by Emanuela Samwel; Published May 12, 2025 (Mabumbe.com).