Sherry Lansing

Sherry Lansing (born July 31, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois as Sherry Lee Heimann) is the former CEO of Paramount Studios.

Related Topics:
July 31 - 1944 - Chicago, Illinois - CEO - Paramount Studios

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Her mother, fled from Nazi Germany at age 17, and spoke no English when she came to the United States. In 1962 she graduated at University of Chicago Lab School. She pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Dissatisfied with her acting skills, she wanted to learn more about the film industry from the ground up. She took a job with MGM as head script reader and worked on two successful movies, The China Syndrome and Kramer vs. Kramer.

Related Topics:
Nazi - Germany - English - United States - 1962 - University of Chicago - Northwestern University - MGM - Script - The China Syndrome - Kramer vs. Kramer

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Lansing's work at MGM eventually led to an appointment, at age 35, as the first female president of 20th Century Fox. She was also part of a production company run by Stanley Jeffe. In 1992, she was offered the chairmanship of Paramount Pictures' Motion Picture Group. During her tenure as Chairman of Paramount, the studio has produced such blockbuster hits as Forrest Gump, Braveheart, and Titanic.

Related Topics:
20th Century Fox - 1992 - Forrest Gump - Braveheart - Titanic

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As studio chief she focused on bottomline rather than marketshare, preferring to take less risks and make lower budget films than other studios. While this strategy paid off for a long time, in 2004 in the face of increasing flops, she stepped down as CEO of Paramount.

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She married director William Friedkin on 6 July, 1991.

Related Topics:
William Friedkin - 6 July - 1991

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