Suzanne de Passe

Last updated
Suzanne de Passe
Born (1946-07-19) July 19, 1946 (age 77) [1] [2]
or (1947-07-19) July 19, 1947 (age 76) [3] [4]
or (1948-07-19) July 19, 1948 (age 75) [5] [6]
(sources differ)
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Executive producer
  • chairwoman
  • television producer
  • businesswoman
  • screenwriter
Years active1966–present [2]
Notable work
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1978;div. 1994)​
Children3
Website depassejones.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Suzanna Celeste de Passe (born July 19, 1946, [1] [2] 1947 [7] [8] or 1948 [5] [9] [10] ) (sources differ) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group.

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

De Passe was born in New York City to a Harlem born mother of Jamaican descent [11] and a father of Haitian and French descent. Raised in Harlem, De Passe attended Manhattan High School and later Syracuse University.

Career

De Passe began her career in show business at the Cheetah nightclub in New York City. Through her friendship with Cindy Birdsong, who replaced Florence Ballard as a member of The Supremes in 1967, she began working at Motown as Creative Assistant to company founder, Berry Gordy." [12] Early in her career, de Passe developed Michael Jackson and his brothers (The Jackson 5)'s wardrobe and the act they took on the road. She was instrumental in taking the record label to television with a host of notable specials, including Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever produced while she was President of Motown Productions. [13] When Motown was sold, she partnered with her mentor in Gordy/de Passe Productions and subsequently established de Passe Entertainment in 1992. De Passe's association with Mr. Gordy was featured in the December 2008 issue of Vanity Fair : Motown the Untold Story, The Labels Greatest Legends, In Their Own Words with photography by Annie Leibovitz.

The subject of two Harvard Business School case studies: "Suzanne de Passe and Motown Productions" and "de Passe Entertainment", de Passe has lectured at the Harvard Business School on several occasions. In 2002, de Passe was named Time Warner Visiting Professor to the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University's John H. Johnson School of Communications, a post she held for the requisite 3 years. During Howard University's 138th Charter Day celebration in March 2006, de Passe received an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Humanities. De Passe is currently serving as the Producer-in-Residence at Emerson College, School of the Arts in Boston. She also served as the Emerson College 2007 Balfour Distinguished Lecturer. De Passe served as Executive Producer of the half-hour situation comedies Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, both of which aired on The WB and were produced in association with Paramount and Disney Television, respectively.

From 2002 until 2008 served as Executive Producer of Showtime at the Apollo , a weekly variety program nationally syndicated by Warner Brother/Telepictures. In 2005 and 2006 she co-created, wrote, and executive produced the Black Movie Awards for TNT. Currently, she is developing King, a film on the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [14] In 2009, De Passe was featured in HBO's The Black List: Vol. 2. This is the second instalment of the documentary including other prominent African Americans such as filmmaker Tyler Perry, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Pastor T.D. Jakes.

Television

Mini-series

Series

Television movies

Network

  • The Loretta Claiborne Story – Two-hour, 2000, Disney/ABC Sunday Night, de Passe Entertainment.
  • Someone Else's Child – Two-hour, 1998, ABC, de Passe Entertainment.
  • The Last Electric Knight – (AKA Sidekicks) – Two-hour, 1989, ABC, Motown Productions.
  • Bridemaids – Two-hour, 1989, CBS, Motown Productions.
  • Happy Endings – Two-hour, 1983, CBS, King Entertainment, Motown Productions.

Cable

  • Zenon: Z3 – Two-hour, 2004, The Disney Channel, de Passe Entertainment.
  • Zenon: The Zequel – Two-hour, 2001, The Disney Channel, de Passe Entertainment. When it aired, the movie had the highest-ever rating for a Disney Channel original movie. Premiered January 2001 with 3.3 rating/6 share.
  • Cheaters – Two-hour, 2000, HBO Films, de Passe Entertainment.
  • Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century – Two-hour, 1999, The Disney Channel, de Passe Entertainment.

Specials

  • Executive Producer, Commander In Chief's Inaugural Ball for President Barack Obama.
  • 70th Anniversary Tribute to the Apollo Theatre: Two-hour, 2004, NBC, de Passe Entertainment.
  • Motown 40: The'
  • ' Music is Forever, Four-hour documentary 1998, ABC, de Passe Entertainment. Executive Producer & Writer.
  • Motown 30: What's Goin' On, Two-hour, 1990, CBS, Motown Productions, and Emmy Award Nominee. Executive Producer & Writer.
  • Motown: Merri X-Mas, One-hour, 1987, ABC, Motown Productions.
  • Motown Returns to the Apollo, Three-hour, 1985, NBC, Motown Productions. Emmy Award winner for best variety Program. NAACP Image Award winner. Executive Producer & Writer.
  • Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever , Two-hour, 1983, NBC, Motown Productions, Emmy Award winner for best variety program. Winner of NAACP Image Award and Peabody Award. Executive Producer & Writer.
  • Motown on Showtime: – Smokey Robinson – One-hour, 1990, Showtime, Motown Productions. – Comedy on Campus – One-hour, 990, Showtime, Motown Productions. – Michael Jackson – One-hour, 1988, Showtime, Motown Productions. – Marvin Gaye – One-hour, 1987, Showtime, Motown Productions. – Temptations and Four Tops – One-hour, 1986, Showtime, Motown Productions

Series

  • Sister, Sister : Half-hour sitcom – 122 episodes completed, 1995–1999, ABC/The WB, de Passe Entertainment. Starring: Tia and Tamera Mowry, Tim Reid and Jackee Harry.
  • Smart Guy : Half-hour sitcom – 51 episodes completed, 1996–1999, The WB, de Passe Entertainment. Starring: Tahj Mowry, John Marshall Jones, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding and Essence Atkins.
  • On Our Own : Half-hour sitcom – 19 episodes completed, 1994–1995, ABC, de Passe Entertainment. Starring: The Smollet Family.
  • The Motown Revue starring Smokey Robinson: Six one-hour episodes, 1986, NBC, Motown Productions. Starring: Smokey Robinson.

First-run syndication

  • Showtime at the Apollo : 130 one-hour episodes completed, variety program format. 2002–Present. Syndicated through Warner Brothers/Telepictures.
  • Lonesome Dove, The Outlaw Years: 44 one-hour episodes completed, western drama, 1994-1996. Starring: Eric McCormack, Scott Bairstow and Paul Le Mat.
  • Night Life: (195) half-hour episodes, talk show. 1986-87. Hosted by David Brenner.

Award programs

  • 2006 Black Movie Awards: A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present, & Future. A 90-minute special which aired nationally on Turner Network Television (TNT) October 18, 2006. Hosted by Tyler Perry
  • 2005 Black Movie Awards: A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present, & Future. A 90-minute special which aired nationally on Turner Network Television (TNT) October 19, 2005. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer
  • 34th NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2003 FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer.
  • 2003 Essence Awards, Two-hour special, FOX, de Passe Entertainment.
  • 2002 Essence Awards, Two-hour special, FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Steve Harvey
  • 33rd NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2002, FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Chris Tucker
  • 32nd NAACP Image Awards, Two-hour special, 2001, FOX, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Chris Tucker
  • MUSIC and MORE...Image Awards, One-hour special, 2001, WB, de Passe Entertainment. Hosted by Sinbad and Brandy. [15]

Awards

De Passe received an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the screenplay Lady Sings the Blues , making her the first African-American to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay. [2] De Passe also won two Emmy Awards and NAACP Image Awards as executive producer of Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and Motown Returns to the Apollo. De Passe served as executive producer for the CBS western miniseries Lonesome Dove , that won both Golden Globe and Peabody Awards and was voted "Outstanding Program of the Year" by the Television Critics Association.

As executive producer of the benchmark NBC miniseries The Temptations , de Passe won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Miniseries and was nominated for both the Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award for Best Miniseries. She also served as Executive Producer for Small Sacrifices , The Jacksons: An American Dream and Buffalo Girls , all of which were nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Miniseries. [16]

De Passe has also received countless awards for her contributions to the television, movie and music industries including:

Recent community honors include:

Personal life

In 1978, De Passe married actor Paul Le Mat. They have since divorced.[ citation needed ]

Boards, trade associations and affiliations

Additionally, she has appeared as a speaker before numerous businesses and industry trade groups, including:

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References

  1. 1 2 "Suzanne de Passe Biography - Biography.com". Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Bad". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. pp. 461–63. ISBN   9781788400572.
  3. ↑ Lady Sings The Blues, 1972.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of African American Business: Updated and Revised Edition, 2nd ... edited by Jessie Smith.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Notable Black American Women, Book 2, By Jessie Carney Smith · 1992.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ Black Women in America: A-G, By Darlene Clark Hine · 2005.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ African-American Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs, By Rachel Kranz.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ National Portrait Gallery, Suzanne De Passe
  9. ↑ Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema, By S. Torriano Berry, Venise T. Berry · 2015.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ Great Negroes, Past and Present. Volume Two, By Jawanza Kunjufu, Erica Myles, Nichelle Wilson · 1999.Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ Bernard, Aubrey J., ed. (1 February 2011). "Audrey's Society Whirl: Suzanne de Passe first woman to Receive AFUWI Bob Marley Award". EurWeb. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  12. ↑ J.T. (1987). "Suzanne de Passe" (PDF). Channels: The Business of Communications. p. 27. Retrieved August 25, 2023– via worldradiohistory.com.
  13. ↑ "She Made It". She Made It. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  14. ↑ "Suzanne de Passe Biography Biography - Biography.com". Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  15. ↑ "Suzanne De Passe". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ↑ "Past Recipients". Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  18. ↑ "CANDACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1982-1990, Page 2". National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Archived from the original on March 14, 2003.
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