Sherry Lansing (born Sherry Lee Duhl; July 31, 1944) is an American
former actress and film studio executive. She is a former CEO of
Paramount Pictures, and when she was the president of production at
20th Century Fox, she was the first woman to head a Hollywood movie
studio. In 1996, she became the first woman to be named Pioneer of the
Year by the Foundation of the Motion Picture Pioneers, and she was the
first female movie studio head to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame. In 1999, she was appointed to the University of California
Board of Regents. In 2005, she became the first female movie studio
head to place hand and foot prints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater.
In 2001, she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by
Ladies' Home Journal, and The Hollywood Reporter named her fourth on
its Power 100 list in 2003.Lansing was born Sherry Lee Duhl in
Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1944. Her mother, Margaret "Margot"
Heimann, fled from Nazi Germany in 1937 at the age of 17. Her father,
David Duhl, was a real-estate investor who died when she was nine. Her
mother remarried and died in 1984 from ovarian cancer. She was raised
in a Jewish household. Lansing attended the University of Chicago
Laboratory Schools and graduated in 1962. In 1966, she earned a
Bachelor of Science degree at Northwestern University, where she was a
member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority.Lansing married Academy
Award-winning director William Friedkin on July 6, 1991; he had
previously been married to French film star Jeanne Moreau, actress
Lesley-Anne Down and Kelly Lange.By her current marriage, Lansing has
two stepsons, Jack and Cedric.
former actress and film studio executive. She is a former CEO of
Paramount Pictures, and when she was the president of production at
20th Century Fox, she was the first woman to head a Hollywood movie
studio. In 1996, she became the first woman to be named Pioneer of the
Year by the Foundation of the Motion Picture Pioneers, and she was the
first female movie studio head to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame. In 1999, she was appointed to the University of California
Board of Regents. In 2005, she became the first female movie studio
head to place hand and foot prints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater.
In 2001, she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by
Ladies' Home Journal, and The Hollywood Reporter named her fourth on
its Power 100 list in 2003.Lansing was born Sherry Lee Duhl in
Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1944. Her mother, Margaret "Margot"
Heimann, fled from Nazi Germany in 1937 at the age of 17. Her father,
David Duhl, was a real-estate investor who died when she was nine. Her
mother remarried and died in 1984 from ovarian cancer. She was raised
in a Jewish household. Lansing attended the University of Chicago
Laboratory Schools and graduated in 1962. In 1966, she earned a
Bachelor of Science degree at Northwestern University, where she was a
member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority.Lansing married Academy
Award-winning director William Friedkin on July 6, 1991; he had
previously been married to French film star Jeanne Moreau, actress
Lesley-Anne Down and Kelly Lange.By her current marriage, Lansing has
two stepsons, Jack and Cedric.
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