Mr. Mindlin was 80. The cause of death was reported as lung cancer.
In a varied career, the New York native started as an office boy at Warner Bros. in Manhattan and worked his way up. As an advertising and publicity man, he worked on the motion pictures "Summertime" and "Trapeze," the L.A. Times reported.
He would later direct the feature-length documentary "A Journey to Jerusalem." He worked on a handful of Broadway shows with Merrick.
Mr. Mindlin co-wrote the 1989 book, "Which Reminds Me," with actor-director Tony Randall. He appeared Off- Broadway and on the West Coast with his own evening of showbiz anecdotes, Memories of an Unknown Celebrity.
Internet Broadway Database indicates his father was Russian-born Broadway producer Michael Mindlin, active between 1915-1930.
