She Worked On Blade Runner?

One of the most thrilling things about living in Los Angeles is you never know who you’re going to bump into—and it can happen literally anywhere.

For example, I was heading down to the mailroom in my building when I spotted a striking woman with red hair holding a garbage bag, looking around the lobby. She stopped me and asked politely if I knew where the trash chute was. As she finished her sentence, I suddenly realized—wait a second... she looks exactly like Pamela Sue Martin, the actress who played Fallon Carrington on “Dynasty”!

I took a chance and asked, “Are you… Pamela Sue Martin?” She smiled, extended her hand and said, “Hi, I'm Pamela.” Casual. Effortless. Only in L.A.

But that wasn’t the only time I had a run-in with Hollywood greatness without even realizing it.

Flash forward to one of my favorite spin classes in West Hollywood. My instructor, the always fabulous Andrew Schuth, casually mentioned that the older British woman in the back row was… wait for it… a producer on “Blade Runner.” Yes—THE Blade Runner. One of my all-time favorite sci-fi films!

At first, I thought, could that possibly be true? But in L.A., stranger things have happened. Turns out, it was 100% true.

Her name is Katherine “Katy” Haber. And not only did we become friends, but I was honored to attend her 80th birthday bash at the iconic Sunset Marquis. Eventually, when I felt comfortable, I asked her about her past in the industry—and she confirmed it all. Not only did she work on “Blade Runner,” but her career spans more than 50 years of Hollywood history.

Of course, I immediately invited her to be a guest on my podcast, Hollywood Obsessed—and she graciously agreed. Make sure to check out episodes 113 &114 to listen to our fantastic chat. 

This whole experience reminded me of something so simple, yet so powerful: you never know who you're sitting next to at spin class, who’s in line behind you at Starbucks, or who’s getting their nails done in the chair beside you. So maybe put down your phone for a moment and look around—you might be sharing space with Hollywood royalty.

Now, check out some fascinating facts about Katy Haber’s legendary career and the iconic film - “Blade Runner“- she helped bring to life. You’re in for a treat.

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Katherine Haber served as a production executive for “Blade Runner”.

Katy was born in London, England -- to parents who survived the Holocaust. During the late 1960s she worked as assistant producer to Ronald J. Kahn on theater and film productions.

Starting in 1971, Katy Haber collaborated with director San Peckinpah on eight of his films, including "Straw Dogs", "Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid," "Cross Of Iron," "Convoy" and "The Getaway."

Award-winning film maker Katy Haber was part of the original production team (credited as Production Executive) who were responsible for hiring Ridley Scott to direct the film “Blade Runner.”

“Blade Runner” was an adaptation of Phillip K Dick's 1968 science fiction novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, but centers on retired cop Rick Deckard, hunting four androids (known as replicants) in a post nuclear war-ravaged Los Angeles.

Originally Ridley Scott wanted Dustin Hoffman as Deckard, but the producers fell out with him over creative differences, but eventually cast Harrison Ford - only to endure a feud that lasted a decade.

Harrison Ford who was filming “Raiders of the Lost Ark” left the set wearing the now famous brown jacket and hat to meet with Ridley Scott to discuss playing Deckard in “Blade Runner”.

Director Sir Ridley Scott cast Rutger Hauer in the role of Roy Batty without meeting him. He had watched his performances in “Turkish Delight”, “Katie Tippel,” and “Soldier of Orange,” and was so impressed, he cast him immediately. However, for their first meeting, Hauer decided to play a joke on Scott and he turned up wearing huge green sunglasses, pink satin pants, and a white sweater with an image of a fox on the front. According to Production Executive Katherine Haber, when Scott saw Hauer, he literally turned white.

"Blade Runner" was made on a very tense set. Due to American union rules, director Sir Ridley Scott could not bring his own British crew, and felt hampered by strict codes that would not allow him to operate a camera. He was also constantly frustrated by crew members, financers, and producers who kept questioning him about his artistic choices. Conversely, the majority of the American crew didn't enjoy working on this movie, or working with Scott, whom they considered to be cold and distant, and whose perfectionism caused shooting days that often lasted around thirteen hours. According to insiders on the set, crew members were leaving or being fired all the time, and the call-sheets were the only sure way to see who was still working on the production. Towards the end of principal photography, an incident occurred which has become known as "the t-shirt war". In an article in the British press, Scott had casually commented that he preferred working with English crews because when he asked for something they would say, "Yes gov'nor" and go get it, but things weren't that simple with American crews. Make-up supervisor Marvin G. Westmore saw the article and was disgusted. In retaliation, he had t-shirts printed with "Yes gov'nor my ass!" on the front, and either "Will Rogers never met Ridley Scott" or "You soar with eagles when you fly with turkeys" on the back. A mildly amused Scott and Katy Haber had t-shirts made with "Xenophobia sucks" on them, and Scott would wear a cap that said "Guv". Scott later said it was meant as a joke, and to defuse the situation; he simply hoped that people would be confused by the word "xenophobia" and had to ask what it meant. Apparently, the strategy worked, and it broke the ice for a while.

The model of Tyrell's pyramid was nine feet square at the base and two and a half feet high, a ratio of 1:750. It was made out of Plexiglas and then painted black. The paint was scratched out where there were supposed to be windows. A powerful light was placed inside to show those windows being lit. Because the light was very hot and filming the model took a lot of time, it ultimately caught fire and melted. Fortunately, this happened near the end of the shoot when the necessary shots had been completed. Parts of the model are on exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, New York City.

Harrison Ford cites this movie as one of the most frustrating movies he's ever made, partly because the shoot was so grueling, and the changes in post-production that were meant to help this movie's chances at the box office didn't. He also famously didn't get along with director Ridley Scott. According to producer Alan Ladd Jr. in the book 'Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner', at one point, Ford and Scott wouldn't speak to each other: "By the end of the shoot, Ford was ready to kill Ridley. He really would have taken him on if he hadn't been talked out of it."

Edward James Olmos who portrayed Gaff in the film drew on diverse ethnic sources to help create the fictional "Cityspeak" language his character uses in the film. His initial address to Deckard at the noodle bar is partly in Hungarian and means, "Horse dick [bullshit]! No way. You are the Blade ... Blade Runner."

Rachael's hairstyles and elaborate wardrobe were inspired by Joan Crawford.

After Pris (Daryl Hannah) first meets J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson), she runs away from him, skidding into his car and smashing the window with her elbow. This was a genuine mistake caused by Hannah slipping on the wet ground. The glass wasn't breakaway glass, it was real glass, and Hannah chipped her elbow in eight places. She still has the scar from the accident, as can be seen in “Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner”, the "making of" documentary of this movie.

Much of the film was shot at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank. Sir Ridley Scott is no fan of filming on studio backlots, although he acknowledges the convenience of having access to anything you might need. "The scale never seems to be quite right", he says, "they all seem to look a little bit small, or a little bit dinky, or not tall enough." He was ultimately given an ultimatum to "do it there or don't do it at all" and credits Syd Mead's design help with making it work. The same "street" was used for multiple scenes throughout this movie.

Rick Deckard's apartment, drawn by set designer Charles William Breen and built on-stage at Warner Brothers, was inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis-Brown House in Los Angeles, California. Breen had plaster casts taken from the textile blocks of the Wright-designed house and used them for the walls in the stage set.

Ridley Scott asked Stanley Kubrick if he had any unused helicopter footage from "The Shining" (1980) that he could use. The very next day, over a dozen reels arrived at his office. These are used during the closing credits.

The narration, which Bud Yorkin and Katy Haber recorded with Harrison Ford, was intentionally delivered poorly by Harrison in hopes that it wouldn't be used. However, this narration was not written by Hampton Fancher or David Peoples; it was actually penned by Bud Yorkin's writer, Roland Kibbee.

While not initially a success with North American audiences, “Blade Runner” was popular internationally and garnered a cult following.

The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the second-most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society

Katy Haber has received numerous awards for her services to the Los Angeles community, including the Martin Luther King ‘Keeper of the Dream’ Award from the City of West Hollywood, an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Bedfordshire, and in 2012 she was awarded an M.B.E. (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in her native England for her contributions to the arts and sciences and working with charitable and welfare organizations.

Katy Haber is a founding member of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) where she served on the board for 23 years and the BAFTA COUNCIL for 4 years.

Some facts are taken from IMDB & Wikipedia.

Don’t miss listening to my fascinating interview with the fabulous Katherine Haber M.E.B. - who tells me all about what it was like working with Harrison Ford and director Ripley Scott on the SciFi masterpiece “Blade Runner”- in the latest two episodes of the Hollywood Obsessed podcast! Where you get exclusive insights and stories you won’t find anywhere else!

Click the links below to listen now and be inspired!

Episode 113 - HERE

Episode 114 - HERE