During almost 30 years in the motion picture business, Sherry Lansing was involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of more than 200 films, including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), and Titanic (1997). Throughout her film career, Lansing earned a reputation as a trailblazer, a visionary leader, and a creative filmmaker. In 1980, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed President of 20th Century Fox.
Later, as an independent producer, Lansing was responsible for such successful films as Fatal Attraction, The Accused, School Ties, Indecent Proposal, and Black Rain. Returning to the executive ranks in 1992, she was named Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures and began an unprecedented tenure that lasted more than 12 years (1992 – 2005), during which the studio enjoyed enormous creative and financial success. The Sherry Lansing Foundation (SLF) was formed in 2005, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cancer research, health, public education, and encore career opportunities. Among the SLF’s initiatives is the EnCorps STEM Teachers Program, founded by Lansing to transition corporate professionals and military veterans into top quality California public school math and science teachers. Lansing is also a co-founder of the “Stand Up To Cancer” initiative, which funds collaborative, multi-institutional cancer research “Dream Teams.”
In addition to serving on the University of California Board of Regents, Lansing is a trustee of “Big Brothers – Big Sisters” of Greater Los Angeles, where she co-founded the Scholarship Fund for deserving “Littles Sisters and Brothers.” In December 2004, Lansing was appointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. She serves as the Cancer Patient Advocate, as well as Chair of the Governance Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group. Lansing additionally serves on the boards of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, the Carter Center, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Lasker Foundation, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. She also serves on the Executive Committee of Friends of Cancer Research and is Honorary Chair of STOP CANCER, a nonprofit philanthropic organization which she founded in partnership with the late Dr. Armand Hammer.
Lansing graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northwestern University in 1966. Her authorized biography will be released for publication in early 2017.
