Dawn Leslie Steel was an American film studio executive and producer.
26 Facts About Dawn Steel
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Dawn Steel was one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio, rising through the ranks of merchandising and production to head Columbia Pictures in 1987.
3.
Dawn Steel was the daughter of Nathan and Rebecca Tarlo, Polish immigrants.
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Dawn Steel grew up in Manhattan and in Great Neck, New York, according to her autobiography.
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When she was nine years old, Dawn Steel's father suffered a nervous breakdown, so her mother was the family's sole support.
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Dawn Steel attended the School of Business Administration at Boston University from 1964 to 1965, but left due to financial problems.
7.
Dawn Steel attended New York University from 1966 to 1967, studying marketing, but did not graduate.
8.
In 1968, Dawn Steel worked as a sportswriter for Major League Baseball Digest and the NFL in New York.
9.
In 1968, after starting out as a secretary, Dawn Steel became merchandising director for Penthouse.
10.
In 1978, Dawn Steel moved to Los Angeles, working as a merchandising consultant for Playboy.
11.
In 1978, Dawn Steel joined Paramount Pictures as Director of Merchandising and Licensing, where she planned marketing tie-ins for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
12.
Dawn Steel was promoted to vice president, and then vice president of production in 1980, senior vice president of production in 1983.
13.
Dawn Steel was a protege of Barry Diller, the CEO of Paramount at the time.
14.
Dawn Steel oversaw Top Gun, Fatal Attraction, and The Accused, among others.
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Dawn Steel was the second woman to head a major film production department.
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Dawn Steel was asked to leave the studio in 1989 and shortly thereafter Coca-Cola spun off the studio and exited the movie business; Columbia was thereafter sold to Sony Corporation of Japan.
17.
Dawn Steel resigned from this position on January 8,1990.
18.
In 1990, Dawn Steel formed Dawn Steel Pictures in a production deal at The Walt Disney Company.
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Dawn Steel left Disney in 1993 after making two films, 1993's Cool Runnings, a comedy about the Jamaican bobsled team, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
20.
In 1994, Dawn Steel formed Atlas Entertainment with husband Charles Roven and Bob Cavallo.
21.
Dawn Steel hired women as executives, women as producers and directors, women as marketing people.
22.
In 1989, Dawn Steel was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.
23.
Dawn Steel's father changed the family surname from "Spielberg" before her birth.
24.
The name Dawn Steel was chosen to reflect her father's weightlifting career.
25.
Dawn Steel dated young struggling actor Richard Gere in 1975 and director Martin Scorsese in 1983.
26.
Dawn Steel was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.