Marvin Levy, the legendary Hollywood publicist known for his decades-long partnership with Steven Spielberg and for being the first member of his profession to receive recognition from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, died Monday. He was 96.

“Marvin’s passing is a huge loss for me and our industry writ large. There are many talented PR executives, but Marvin was one of a kind. For over 50 years, he was a deeply loyal and exceptional collaborator who was respected and appreciated by all those who were lucky enough to learn from his counsel. When it came to handling the press, he had no peer,” Spielberg said in a statement. “To the media-and the world of exhibition, Marvin was the face of Amblin. We were opposite ends of the movie-making process. Every time i reached the end of production on a film, Marvin’s work had only begun. Through countless films,...