Phil Borack, a founding board member of Regal Cinemas whose career in film distribution spanned a half-century, has died of heart disease at his home in Cincinnati. He was 84. Borack’s colleague Florence Groner confirmed the news to Deadline, but she did not provide the date of his death

In 1971, Borack founded Tri-State Theatre Service in Cincinnati, building it into region’s largest film booker. He ran it as president for more than 40 years before retiring in 1996. But he continued to come into its office weekly, Groner said.

When Regal Cinemas was founded in 1989, Borack was among its original board of directors. His independent Tri-State Theatre Service provided licenses for Regal exclusively until November 1995, and several of its execs served on the Regal board.

Borack also produced Harper Valley P.T.A., the 1978 film starring Barbara Eden that was based on Jeannie C. Riley’s classic song written by Tom  T.Hall. The former I Dream of Jeannie star reprised her lead role for Harper Valley P.T.A., a NBC sitcom produced by Borack that premiered as a midseason replacement in January 1981. The series went through a number of changes when it returned for Season 2 that fall, including being retitled Harper Valley. It bounced around NBC’s schedule and ended in August 1982.

Borack also was a producer on the 1984 comedy feature Chattanooga Choo Choo. After his retirement from film business, Borack produced the 2002 documentary The Yogis of Tibet.

He is survived by his children Elizabeth, Michael, Heather, and Jackie and nine grandchildren. His wife of 50 years, Jo Alice Borack, died in 2009.

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