JUDITH REGAN
Name: Judith Regan
Judith Regan (born 17 August 1953 in Massachusetts) is an American editor and
book publisher, who became famous for pioneering the publishing of celebrity
autobiographies.
Regan grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Bay Shore High School in 1971.
She then attended Vassar College, receiving her A.B. degree in 1975. Then in
1978, while working as a secretary at Harvard University, Regan answered a
newspaper ad for a reporter for The National Enquirer and got the job. In the
early 1980s, Regan relocated to New York City.
In 1987, Regan approached Simon & Schuster with an idea for a book, a study of
the average American family, with Ozzie and Harriet as its centerpiece. The
editor at Pocket Books did not want the book. The President of Pocket Books
hired Regan to work for the company as a consultant, Editor at Large. She soon
had a string of successes: Drew Barrymore's Little Girl Lost, Kathie Lee Gifford's
I Can't Believe I Said That!, and celebrity autobiographies such as those of
Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. In doing so she contraindicated the conventional
wisdom of the somewhat staid New York publishing industry that there was a
readership and marketplace for such works.
In 1994 Charlie Rose invited her to his program on the date January 7. News
Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch gave Regan her own imprint at HarperCollins
called ReganBooks. She later had a show on News Corp's Fox News Channel called
Judith Regan Tonight, which is no longer on air. In 2005 Regan co-executive
produced, along with HBO Docu-maven Sheila Nevins and screenwriter Christopher
Gambale, HBO's House Arrest starring Chris Colombo; it chronicled the life of an
organized crime scion and his quest to remain a free man. In March 2006, she
signed a niece of Osama bin Laden, Wafah Dufour (née Bin Laden) to star in a
reality television show. It was reported that Regan would be producing the
next installment of House Arrest, entitled "[Pinched]", which continues the saga
of the self proclaimed bookie, Chris Colombo.
Regan's in-your-face personality made and kept her a favorite of New York gossip
columnists. And the episode of Law & Order titled "Murder Book" is based on a
hypothetical murder of Regan (named Serena Darby in the episode). A Manhattan
resident, Regan is divorced and has two children.
Name: Judith Regan
Judith Regan (born 17 August 1953 in Massachusetts) is an American editor and
book publisher, who became famous for pioneering the publishing of celebrity
autobiographies.
Regan grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Bay Shore High School in 1971.
She then attended Vassar College, receiving her A.B. degree in 1975. Then in
1978, while working as a secretary at Harvard University, Regan answered a
newspaper ad for a reporter for The National Enquirer and got the job. In the
early 1980s, Regan relocated to New York City.
In 1987, Regan approached Simon & Schuster with an idea for a book, a study of
the average American family, with Ozzie and Harriet as its centerpiece. The
editor at Pocket Books did not want the book. The President of Pocket Books
hired Regan to work for the company as a consultant, Editor at Large. She soon
had a string of successes: Drew Barrymore's Little Girl Lost, Kathie Lee Gifford's
I Can't Believe I Said That!, and celebrity autobiographies such as those of
Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. In doing so she contraindicated the conventional
wisdom of the somewhat staid New York publishing industry that there was a
readership and marketplace for such works.
In 1994 Charlie Rose invited her to his program on the date January 7. News
Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch gave Regan her own imprint at HarperCollins
called ReganBooks. She later had a show on News Corp's Fox News Channel called
Judith Regan Tonight, which is no longer on air. In 2005 Regan co-executive
produced, along with HBO Docu-maven Sheila Nevins and screenwriter Christopher
Gambale, HBO's House Arrest starring Chris Colombo; it chronicled the life of an
organized crime scion and his quest to remain a free man. In March 2006, she
signed a niece of Osama bin Laden, Wafah Dufour (née Bin Laden) to star in a
reality television show. It was reported that Regan would be producing the
next installment of House Arrest, entitled "[Pinched]", which continues the saga
of the self proclaimed bookie, Chris Colombo.
Regan's in-your-face personality made and kept her a favorite of New York gossip
columnists. And the episode of Law & Order titled "Murder Book" is based on a
hypothetical murder of Regan (named Serena Darby in the episode). A Manhattan
resident, Regan is divorced and has two children.