Zev Buffman, a prominent Broadway producer, who brought Elizabeth Taylor to the stage in a revival of  Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes,” died March 31 at a Seattle hospital. He was 89.

Mr. Buffman’s fascination with show business began in Tel Aviv where, as a youngster, he watched movies from the theaters’ projection booths. Fluent in German, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic and Yiddish, he learned English by listening to Hollywood stars.

After serving as a commando in Israel’s Defense Forces during its War of Independence in 1948, he moved to Los Angeles in 1951, fixated on a Hollywood career. Cast only in minor roles, he turned to producing, and produced or co-produced dozens of shows on Broadway.

According to his wife, Vilma Buffman, Mr. Buffman’s proudest achievement was producing a revival of “Oklahoma!” He said it was like Israel, she told the New York Times. “They came to a new area, developed it, and it became a state.”