Lucy Fisher

Last updated
Lucy Fisher
Born (1949-10-02) October 2, 1949 (age 74)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater Harvard University (1971) [1]
OccupationFilm producer
Years active2002–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1986)​
Children3

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 casually brilliant vice chairperson of Sony Pictures. The executive that no one flees at parties." [2]

Contents

Along with her partner and husband Douglas Wick, she is co-head of Red Wagon Entertainment. [3] Fisher and Red Wagon's most recent production was The Divergent Series , based on Veronica Roth's New York Times bestselling books. Divergent starred a cast of stellar newcomers including Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort, as well as Oscar-winner Kate Winslet. It was followed by the sequels Insurgent and Allegiant, which also stars Naomi Watts and Jeff Daniels. Previously, Fisher and Wick produced The Great Gatsby , which won two Academy Awards, was directed by Baz Luhrmann and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha , which won three Academy Awards. [4]

Early life and career

Fisher grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. Fisher graduated from Dwight-Englewood School in 1967 and received the school's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. [5] 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 a vice president 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, [6] where she developed and supervised a diverse range of films, including Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Fugitive, The Color Purple, Gremlins, The Goonies, Malcolm X, Space Jam, Empire of the Sun, The Outsiders, The Bridges of Madison County, The Secret Garden, and The Witches of Eastwick. In 1995, Fisher joined Sony and moved to Columbia TriStar, where she worked as vice chairman [7] 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, RV , Stuart Little 2 , and Lawless .

In June 2018 she was named co-president of the Producers Guild of America, alongside Gail Berman. [8] [ circular reference ]

Personal life

Fisher's boyfriend, musician and television host Peter Ivers was murdered in downtown Los Angeles in early 1983. 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] 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. [13]

Awards

Fisher's awards include the Crystal Award from Women in Film, the Hollywood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing, The Hollywood Film Festival 'Producer of the Year' Award, Producers Guild of America's Award, the John Harvard Award, Premiere Magazine's Icon Award, the Friends of Cancer Research Advocacy's 'Lifetime Achievement Award', and the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. She has also been listed as one of Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business. [14]

Filmography

She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted. [15]

Film

YearFilmCreditAwardNotes
2002 Stuart Little 2
2003 Peter Pan
2004 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
2005 Bewitched
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Direct-to-video
Jarhead
Memoirs of a Geisha Six Academy Award Nominations, three wins
2006 RV
Hollow Man 2 Executive producerDirect-to-video
2012 Lawless
2013 The Great Gatsby 2 Academy Awards
2014 Divergent
2015 The Divergent Series: Insurgent
2016 The Divergent Series: Allegiant
2020 The Craft: Legacy
2024 Gladiator II

Television

YearTitleCredit
2003 Stuart Little Executive producer
2021–present Joe Pickett Executive producer

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References

  1. 1 2 Bendheim, Kim. "Member Profile: Lucy Fisher '71." Harvardwood 27 (Apr. 2007): n. pag. Harvardwood Highlights. Harvard University, Apr. 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <https://www.harvardwood.org/mp200704>.
  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. 1 2 Lyman, Rick (1999-12-16). "President of Columbia Pictures Promoted". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  4. ↑ "The-Great-Gatsby - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  5. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni Award". www.d-e.org. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  6. ↑ "Warners Promotes Top Three Executives". The New York Times. 1989-09-06. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  7. ↑ 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>.
  8. ↑ "Gail Berman".
  9. ↑ "wick.gif". Curesnow.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  10. ↑ "MRC Entertainment | Global Entertainment Company with Businesses Spanning Film, Television, Media and Data". www.mrcentertainment.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  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" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  12. ↑ 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>.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Anne (1993-05-09). "The Executive Life; Kids Are Changing Hollywood's Ways". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  14. ↑ "Lucy Fisher". Filmbug. 2004-01-19. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  15. ↑ "Lucy Fisher - Filmography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2007-01-18. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
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