Kathleen Kennedy was born on June 5, 1953, in Berkeley, California,[3] to Donald R. Kennedy, a judge and attorney, and his wife Dione Marie "Dede" (née Dousseau), a one-time theater actress.[4] She has two sisters. Her twin sister, Connie, formerly a location manager in British Columbia, Canada, is now the executive producer of the Virtual Production company Profile Studios.[citation needed] Her other sister is Dana Middleton-Silberstein, a television host and anchor, and press secretary/communications director for former GovernorGary Locke (D-WA).[4]
After her employment with KCST, she produced a local talk show entitled You're On for the station for four years before moving to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Kennedy secured her first film production job working as an assistant to John Milius, who at the time was executive producer of Spielberg's 1941 (1979).[6]
While working under Milius during the production of 1941, Kennedy caught the attention of Steven Spielberg,[7] who stated in 2015:
She was horrible at taking notes... but what she did know how to do was interrupt somebody in midsentence. We'd be pitching ideas back and forth, and Kathy—who was supposed to be writing these ideas down—suddenly put her pencil down and would say something like, "And what if he didn't get the girl, but instead he got the dog?"[8]
Spielberg asked Kennedy to become his secretary for her organization abilities, and Kennedy gradually took on larger roles in the moviemaking process.[8] Kennedy was credited as associate to Spielberg on Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), then associate producer on Spielberg's production of Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist (1982).[9]
In May 2012, she stepped down from Kennedy/Marshall, leaving Marshall as sole principal of their film company.[16][17] In the following month, Kennedy became co-chair of Lucasfilm Ltd. alongside George Lucas.[18][19] On October 30, 2012, when Lucas sold his company to Disney, Kennedy was promoted to president.[20] In 2018 and again in 2021, Kennedy's contract to remain president of Lucasfilm was extended another three years, first through October 30, 2021 and then to 2024.[21][22]
During the 1980s and 1990s, Kennedy served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute and in 1991 was a "Grimmy Award" recipient in recognition for her outstanding support of student film making. Kennedy was also an Honorary Chairperson of the institute.[28][29] In 1995, she was awarded the Women in FilmCrystal 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.[30] In 1996, she and Marshall received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award.[31] For the 2001–02 period, she was co-president (with Tim Gibbons) of the Producers Guild of America.[32] In 2007, Kennedy was the first recipient of Women in Film's Paltrow Mentorship Award, for showing extraordinary commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of filmmakers and executives.[33]
^ abc"Kathleen Kennedy – Part 2". The Kennedy/Marshall Company. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
