Paul Noble, the London-born executive who spent the past eight years with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the last three as the studio’s co-head of global theatrical marketing, has died. He was 51.
Noble died Sept. 9 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after a two-year battle with bulbar ALS, an SPE spokesperson announced.
“Paul was a rare and marvelous human being, possessed with an abundance of positivity, warmth, humor and kindness,” SPE Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO Tom Rothman wrote in a note to employees. “He faced his diagnosis with courage and grace and in doing so set a remarkable example for his family and, indeed, for all of us.
“To say he will be missed is, of course, an understatement. But his memory will surely be cherished by anyone lucky enough to have known him.”
In July 2019, Noble and Andre Caraco were promoted to co-presidents of global marketing at Sony. He then was tapped to lead the division with Danielle Misher in October 2020 when Caraco stepped down amid layoffs and a restructuring.
For more than two decades, Noble worked on groundbreaking and award-winning campaigns around the world.
At Sony, he oversaw international marketing campaigns for the films in the Spider-Verse franchise, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), which grossed $690 million as Sony’s highest-grossing animated film ever, and the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy, the latest installment of which — Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — was Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time at $1.9 billion.
Noble also helped the studio find success with 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($965 million worldwide gross) and 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level ($803 million); 2018’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ($530 million); 2018’s Venom ($856 million) and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($507 million during the pandemic); 2022’s Uncharted ($408 million); and 2023’s Insidious: The Red Door ($189 million).
Born in Camberwell, London, Noble graduated from the prestigious Sevenoaks School in 1990. He then attended Kingston University, receiving a degree in English literature and a master of arts degree in Anglo-American literary relations.
He began his career as a copywriter at Curio, a London-based film promotions agency. After five years there, he joined The Creative Partnership as head writer and won a Golden Trailer award for his work on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005).
In 2007, Noble began an eight-year run at London-based agency Wonderland Film Marketing & Creative as a group creative director overseeing international campaigns for such films as Inglourious Basterds (2009), Despicable Me 2 (2013) and Fast & Furious 7 (2015).
He moved to Los Angeles and was hired by Sony in October 2015 as senior vp international creative advertising. He was promoted to executive vp in August 2017 and upped to co-president of international marketing in July 2018 when Michael Horn exited.
Diagnosed with bulbar ALS in June 2021, Noble continued to work until his final days and “inspired his colleagues with his positive outlook,” the studio noted.
Survivors include his wife, Esme; son Rudy, 11; daughter Jean, 10; brother Toby; and parents David and Debbie.
