SHERRY LANSING
Name: Sherry Lansing
Born July 31, 1944 Chicago, Illinois
Sherry Lansing (born July 31, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois as Sherry Lee Heimann)
is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a major
studio. In 2001 she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by
Ladies Home Journal.
Her mother fled from Nazi Germany at age 17, and spoke no English when she
arrived in the United States. Lansing attended the University of Chicago
Laboratory Schools and graduated in 1962. She earned a B.A. from Northwestern
University where she was a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority.
She pursued an acting career (appearing in two films made in 1970, Loving and
Rio Lobo, starring John Wayne) but, dissatisfied with her own acting skills, she
decided 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.
In 2005, she created The Sherry Lansing Foundation which is dedicated to raising
awareness and funds for cancer research. She is a recipient of UCLA Anderson
School of Management's highest honor-the Exemplary Leadership in Management (ELM)
Award.
In 2007, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her work in
cancer research at the 79th Annual Academy Awards. The award was presented to
her by Tom Cruise, her longtime friend and business partner.
Lansing married Academy award winning director William Friedkin on 6 July 1991.
Name: Sherry Lansing
Born July 31, 1944 Chicago, Illinois
Sherry Lansing (born July 31, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois as Sherry Lee Heimann)
is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a major
studio. In 2001 she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by
Ladies Home Journal.
Her mother fled from Nazi Germany at age 17, and spoke no English when she
arrived in the United States. Lansing attended the University of Chicago
Laboratory Schools and graduated in 1962. She earned a B.A. from Northwestern
University where she was a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority.
She pursued an acting career (appearing in two films made in 1970, Loving and
Rio Lobo, starring John Wayne) but, dissatisfied with her own acting skills, she
decided 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.
In 2005, she created The Sherry Lansing Foundation which is dedicated to raising
awareness and funds for cancer research. She is a recipient of UCLA Anderson
School of Management's highest honor-the Exemplary Leadership in Management (ELM)
Award.
In 2007, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her work in
cancer research at the 79th Annual Academy Awards. The award was presented to
her by Tom Cruise, her longtime friend and business partner.
Lansing married Academy award winning director William Friedkin on 6 July 1991.