Lucy Fisher

Lucy Fisher
Born October 2, 1949
Englewood, New Jersey
Alma mater Harvard University (1971)[1]
Occupation Film producer
Years active 2000–present
Spouse(s) Douglas Wick (m. 1986; 3 children)

Lucy Fisher (born October 2, 1949) is an American film producer. She was previously Vice Chairman of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group at Sony Studios, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Production at Warner Brothers, Head of Production at Zoetrope Studios and Vice President of Production at Twentieth Century Fox. She was described by actor Jack Nicholson as,

"This is a jazzy girl, this casually brilliant vice chairperson of Sony Pictures. The executive that no one flees at parties. The suit with legs... Lucy is the smartest, sweetest girl in class...The one who spends each Valentine's Day wondering whether everyone else in class got enough cards in their box." [2]

Along with her partner and husband Douglas Wick, she is co-head of Red Wagon Entertainment.[3] Fisher's most recent production was The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan.[4]

Early life and career

Fisher grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. She attended Harvard University (1971) where she graduated cum laude with a degree in English. After graduation, Fisher moved to Los Angeles, where she began her career as a freelance script reader at United Artists. Fisher continued to work her way up the ladder, as an executive story editor for MGM, and as the Vice President of Production at 20th Century Fox, before being hand-picked as Head of Production by Francis Ford Coppola for his Zoetrope Studios.[1]

In 1981, Fisher began a 14-year tenure at Warner Brothers as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Production.[5] During her time at Warner, she developed and supervised a diverse range of films, including The Fugitive, The Color Purple, Gremlins, The Goonies, Malcolm X, Space Jam, Empire of the Sun, The Outsiders, The Secret Garden, and The Witches of Eastwick. In 1995, Fisher joined Sony and moved to Columbia TriStar, where she worked as Vice Chairman [6] During Fisher¹s tenure as Vice Chairman at Sony, the studio broke all-time industry records for biggest domestic and worldwide grosses with films she supervised, which included Men in Black, My Best Friend's Wedding, Air Force One, Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets, and Stuart Little.

In 2000, Fisher announced she would be leaving Sony to join her husband, Doug Wick, as co-head of their production company, Red Wagon Entertainment.[3] Together, they produced a wide range of critically acclaimed and popular movies, including Jarhead, Peter Pan, Stuart Little 2, and Memoirs of a Geisha, which was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three Oscars. Fisher’s most recent project was the adaptation of Veronica Roth's NY Times Bestselling Young Adult novel Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet.[7][8]

Personal life

Fisher has been married to producer Douglas Wick since 1986. They have three daughters, Sarah Wick, Julia Wick, and Tessa Wick.[9]

Philanthropy and causes

In addition to her work in the film industry, Fisher has been involved with several philanthropical causes. Fisher served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, and as Vice Chairman of the Overseers' Executive Committee, as well as an advisor to the Harvard Office of the Arts. Fisher also founded the Peter Ivers Artist in Residency at Harvard, which has funded burgeoning artists since 1983.[10] After their youngest daughter Tessa was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, Fisher and Wick co-founded CuresNow, an organization that promotes regenerative medicine and stem cell research. Fisher was a co-chair of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act (Proposition 71), which legislation passed by a wide margin in 2004.[11] The successful stem cell initiative now awards $3 billion for stem cell research in California.[12][13] Fisher is widely considered a pioneer for women and working mothers in the entertainment industry. She was the driving force behind the on-site Warner Bros. Studio Children's Center, which has since provided care for over 2000 children and served as a prototype for day care centers at other studios.[14]

Awards

Fisher's many awards include the Producer's Guild of America's award, David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures,[15] The Hollywood Film Festival 'Producer of the Year' award, the Hollywood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing, the Crystal Award from Women in Film,[16] Premiere Magazine¹s Icon Award, the John Harvard Award,[17] and Friends of Cancer Research Advocacy's 'Lifetime Achievement Award.' She has also been listed as one of Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business.[18]

Filmography

Year Film Director Other notes
2002 Stuart Little 2 Rob Minkoff
2003 Peter Pan P.J. Hogan
2004 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! Robert Luketic
2005 Jarhead Sam Mendes
Bewitched Nora Ephron
Memoirs of a Geisha Rob Marshall Six Academy Award Nominations, three wins
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Audu Paden Direct to video
2006 Hollow Man 2 Claudio Fah Direct to video
RV Barry Sonnenfeld
2012 Lawless John Hillcoat
2013 The Great Gatsby Baz Luhrmann 1
2014 Divergent Neil Burger
2015 The Divergent Series: Insurgent Robert Schwentke

[19]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bendheim, Kim. "Member Profile: Lucy Fisher '71." Harvardwood 27 (Apr. 2007): n. pag. Harvardwood Highlights. Harvard University, Apr. 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.harvardwood.org/?HH200704>.
  2. ↑ Schneider, Wolf and Troise, Pat. "The Hollywood 10 Step." Movieline Apr. 1998:76-81. "Lucy Fisher." Online Magazine. Premiere 2 November 2000.http://www.premieremag.com/archives/women/html/fisher
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lyman, Rick. "President of Columbia Pictures Promoted." The New York Times 16 Dec. 1999: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Dec. 1999. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/16/business/president-of-columbia-pictures-promoted.html>.
  4. ↑ "The-Great-Gatsby - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  5. ↑ . "Warners Promotes Top Three Executives." The New York Times 6 Sept. 1989, Arts sec.: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Sept. 1989. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/06/arts/warners-promotes-top-three-executives.html>.
  6. ↑ Eller, Claudia. "Sony Pictures Hires Warner Exec for New Columbia-TriStar Post." Los Angeles Times 15 Oct. 1995: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 1995. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-19/business/fi-58845_1_sony-pictures>.
  7. ↑ "Divergent - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards - NYTimes.com." Divergent - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards - NYTimes.com. New York Times. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/465547/Divergent/details>.
  8. ↑ "Lucy Fisher - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  9. ↑ "wick.gif". Curesnow.org. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  10. ↑ "Hollywood Awards® - Lucy Fisher." Hollywood Awards® - Lucy Fisher. HOLLYWOOD NETWORK, INC., Oct. 2002. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://hollywoodawards.com/fisher/>.
  11. ↑ R&G ASSOCIATES, LLC (1 December 2004). "Secretary of State KEVIN SHELLEY STATE OF CALIFORNIA PARALLEL MONITORING PROGRAM | California GENERAL ELECTION Tuesday, November 2, 2004". Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  12. ↑ "California Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding Could Begin in May". Archive.lifenews.com. 2004-12-07. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  13. ↑ Daunt, Tina. "Fergie's Commitment Is Right on the Kisser." Los Angeles Times 11 Mar. 2009, Entertainment News sec.: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause11-2009mar11,0,7950683.story>.
  14. ↑ Thompson;, Anne. "The Executive Life; Kids Are Changing Hollywood's Ways." The New York Times n.d., Business sec.: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 May 1993. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/business/the-executive-life-kids-are-changing-hollywood-s-ways.html>.
  15. ↑ "Wick, Fisher Set for PGA's Selznick Nod." IMDb. IMDb.com, 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0223662/>.
  16. ↑ "Past Recipients". Wif.org. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  17. ↑ "Harvard Club of Southern California". Harvard-la.org. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  18. ↑ "Lucy Fisher". Filmbug. 2004-01-19. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  19. ↑ "Lucy Fisher - Filmography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2013-12-18.

External links