Paul Bloch, a veteran Hollywood publicist who counted John Travolta, Eddie Murphy, and Tom Cruise among his clients in a career that spanned more than five decades, died Friday at age 78.

Longtime friend and fellow publicist Stan Rosenfield. Rosenfield called Mr. Bloch the “most respected veteran in the business.’’

The Brooklyn native started with the public relations firm Rogers & Cowan in the mailroom in 1961 after a stint in the Army and his graduation from UCLA, a school he remained dedicated to throughout his lifetime, the firm said in a prepared statement.

He was mentored by company co-founder Henry Rogers, rising to president of the music department with The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees and Julio Iglesias among his clients.

Over 58 years, Mr. Bloch deftly handled crisis management for A-listers, including Murphy after his traffic stop for picking up a prostitute and Cruise after his couch-jumping incident on Oprah. In 1991, Mr. Bloch received the Les Mason Award from the Publicists Guild of America for maintaining the highest professional standard in entertainment public relations.

Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Costner, and Michael Keaton were among Mr. Bloch’s other clients, along with filmmakers Robert Zemeckis, Brian Grazer, and Jerry Weintraub.

Rosenfield said of Mr. Bloch: ‘‘He was very personable. People liked him. They liked doing business with him. He listened.’’