Lynda Rosen Obst (born April 14, 1950)Lynda Obst
TCM, retrieved 8 February 2014 is an American feature film producer and author.

Career

Obst is a graduate of

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popu ...

and then studied Philosophy in the graduate program at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Later she worked as an editor at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' before moving to Los Angeles with her then-husband David Obst. Starting at The Geffen Film Company as a d-girl, her first major project was developing the scripts that would eventually become ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

''. Obst partnered with Debra Hill in 1986. The partnership would go on to produce '' Adventures in Babysitting'', ''

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

'' and '' The Fisher King'', among other projects. Following ''The Fisher King'' (1991), Obst and Hill parted ways; she became an in-studio producer going on to produce such notable films as '' Sleepless in Seattle'', '' One Fine Day'', '' Someone Like You'', ''

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * C ...

'' and '' The Siege''. In 1989, Obst founded the production company Lynda Obst Productions. Initially based at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, it moved to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

in 1993. By 2007, the company was named Obst/Rosen Productions. In 2009, Obst completed principal photography as producer on the Ricky Gervais–Matthew Robinson co-writing and directing debut, ''

The Invention of Lying ''The Invention of Lying'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by comedian Ricky Gervais and writer Matthew Robinson in their directorial debuts. The film stars Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie in a worl ...

'' (originally titled "This Side of the Truth"), starring

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and ''An Idiot Abroad'' ...

and

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Compa ...

. The film was released in October 2009. She was also the producer of Gurinder Chadha's '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'', released by Nickelodeon in 2008. In 2014, Obst collaborated with director

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

to co-produce '' Interstellar'', a science-fiction drama starring

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...

and

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2 ...

. This marked the first time her production company, Lynda Obst Productions, was credited for a production. Obst is the author of the memoir ''Hello, He Lied'' (1996), which details her experiences in the modern studio system. She was one of the central figures in the battle over the

Richard Preston Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for ''The New Yorker'' and bestselling author who has written books about infectious disease, bioterrorism, redwoods and other subjects, as well as fiction. Biography Preston was born in Cambri ...

article '' Crisis in the Hot Zone''. Rick Rosen, one of the founders of the Endeavor talent agency, is Obst's younger brother.

Lynda Obst Productions

Lynda Obst Productions is an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

production company founded by Lynda Obst. She formed the company in 1989 and moved it to

. In 1993, her company moved to

. While Obst has producer credits for films from the 1980s to present, '' Interstellar'' was the first to display her company banner.

Film and television

*'' Interstellar'' (2014) – film *'' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016) – television *''

The Hot Zone ''The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story'' is a best-selling 1994 nonfiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. The basis of the book ...

'' (2019) – television

Filmography

She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

;Thanks

Television

;As writer

Publications

* ''The Sixties'' (Random House: New York, NY, 1978. ) * ''Dirty Dreams: A Novel'' (New Amer Library Trade: New York, NY, 1990. ) * ''Hello, He Lied'' (Little, Brown & Company: New York, NY, 1996. ) * ''Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Business'' (Simon & Schuster: New York, NY, 2013. )

References

External links

*
Lynda Obst Productions

Interview with Lynda Obst for The Women Take Over
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obst, Lynda 1950 births Film producers from California American memoirists Living people Columbia University alumni Pomona College alumni The New York Times editors Writers from New York City American women memoirists American women film producers Film producers from New York (state) 21st-century American women