Army Archerd Dies at 87; Variety Columnist Watched over Hollywood for Half a Century.

Army Archerd, a prolific reporter who chronicled the personal and professional lives of Hollywood stars and moguls for more than half a century from his columnist's perch at Daily Variety, and rocked the entertainment world when he announced in 1985 that actor Rock Hudson was suffering from AIDS, has died. He was 87.

Archerd collapsed at home in Westwood on Monday afternoon and died Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said his wife, Selma. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of mesothelioma, she said, which doctors ascribed to his exposure to shipyard asbestos when he was in the Navy during World War II.

Over the years, as the relationship between entertainment journalists and movie stars evolved from fawning to sometimes harshly objective, Archerd, perhaps best known for his televised job as official greeter of stars each year outside the Academy Awards, remained a respected figure by generations of industry insiders who praised him for his integrity, truthfulness and kindness.

“Army was extraordinarily passionate about his work and was a great crusader -- against the blacklist, for example," said former Variety editor and studio chief Peter Bart, who met Archerd when Bart was sent to cover Hollywood in 1961 for the New York Times. “He was a very honorable man and a damned good journalist."

Archerd, who retired from his “Just for Variety" column on Sept. 1, 2005, but returned soon after with a Variety blog, was also known as a journalist who never forgot which side of the red carpet he was on. In 1996, he told The Times, “I don't burn out because I'm not part of the scene, I'm looking at the scene. I don't get involved like some unnamed people who cover this business."

Though he didn't consider himself part of the crowd he covered, he befriended many Hollywood movers and shakers and was in his own way a Hollywood institution. When Daily Variety threw a charity bash at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to celebrate his column's 40th anniversary in 1993, more than 1,000 people showed up. A-listers who lauded him from the stage included Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck and Sidney Poitier. The audience included Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins and Aaron Spelling. Even then-President Clinton videotaped a greeting to the columnist.

Dubbed in various profiles “the town crier of Hollywood," “a running intelligence report" and “the town's breeziest boulevardier," Archerd wrote well over 10,000 columns, a three-dot compendium of news, observations and occasional bombshells, sprinkled with the lingo peculiar to Variety, where films are “helmed" instead of “directed" and people “ankle" instead of “quit."

Without benefit of a secretary or an assistant, Archerd began working the telephone as soon as he arrived in his office to churn out his column. Dipping into drawers filled with one of Hollywood's most impressive Rolodexes, he could reach just about anyone he needed to. Bart once bragged that Archerd had the numbers of the nurses on every floor of every important hospital in town.

“A couple years ago, I dropped by to see him and he started to pull out cards from that Rolodex, and some were so old and about to crumble," Bart said. “He'd say 'Here's Jack Warner's private number,' and it fell apart."