Sherry Lansing

Lansing applied her intelligence and drive to the production end. She joined Talent Associates in 1974, where she was an executive in charge of development; three years later, she was appointed vice president in charge of production at Columbia. Hit films like the Oscar-winning Kramer vs. Kramer catapulted Ms. Lansing into the presidency of 20th Century-Fox -- the first woman ever to hold such a position. While undaunted by the heavy administrative responsibilities, Lansing preferred to be a hands-on moviemaker, thus in 1984 she teamed with one-time Paramount Pictures president Stanley R. Jaffe to form the successful independent production company, Jaffe-Lansing. When Jaffe was appointed president of Paramount Communications in 1990, Sherry Lansing became that organization's chairperson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide