Cheryl Saban
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Cheryl Saban (; born April 30, 1951) is an American psychologist, author, television writer, and philanthropist. She is a former Senior Advisor to the
United States Mission to the United Nations The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) serves as the United States delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation's participation in the world body. In 1947, the United States Mission was created ...
. She is the author of several children's books, a novel, self-help books, numerous gift books, and many teleplays.


Early life and education

Cheryl Saban was born as Cheryl Lyn Flor on April 30, 1951, in
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. Her father worked for the local telephone company. Saban worked as a telephone solicitor, waitressed at a barbecue-pit restaurant, and worked summers as a lifeguard at a Navy training center. Saban attended
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
. In 2005 she earned a doctorate in psychology from
California Coast University California Coast University (CCU) is a private for-profit online university based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. It enrolls approximately 8,000 ...
.


Career

Saban started her career as a model in
San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
in 1973 and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1975. She recorded her first album in 1978 under the name Flower. In April 1979, ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' included her in a nude pictorial titled “Disco Queens". Saban accepted a job as an assistant for Israeli-American
Haim Saban Haim Saban (; ; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli and American media proprietor, investor, musical composer and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an ...
, a millionaire who later became her husband, in 1986. She wrote for television multiple times, including 19 episodes of ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...
'', produced by Saban. She is the author of four children's books, a thriller, and several self-help books. Saban was nominated as Senior Advisor to the
United States Mission to the United Nations The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) serves as the United States delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation's participation in the world body. In 1947, the United States Mission was created ...
by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in September 2012.


Philanthropy

Saban is the president of Saban Family Foundation. She and her husband both donate through the foundation, which typically focuses on children, education and women's health. Through a $10 million donation, Saban established the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls in 2009. The foundation will provide micro-financing programs to women in the U.S. and in Israel. Saban is on the board of directors of the
Clinton Foundation The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...
. She received an honorary doctorate from the
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public university, public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Named after Israeli List of national founders, national founder David Ben-Gurion, the unive ...
in Israel in 2014. As of May 2018, they are supporting the building of a museum in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.


Los Angeles Free Clinic

In 1968, Los Angeles Free Clinic opened at 115 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles
Free Clinic A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universal ...
is the longest continually running
free clinic A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universal ...
in the nation. In her years of financial difficulty, Cheryl Saban was a patient of the Los Angeles Free Clinic. Later, with her husband, they donated $10 million, and in 2008, it was renamed the Saban Free Clinic. now Saban Community Clinic of Beverly Hills, Rampart Village, Hollywood, Melrose, and Blessed Sacrament.


Personal life

Saban has been married three times. She married her first husband, Ray Lenhart, at the age of 20.Cheryl Saban.com: Biography
retrieved October 4, 2012
They had two daughters, Tifanie Lenhart Chaney and actress Heidi Lenhart Stills, and divorced soon after. She later married and divorced Bobby Ocean. He was a music producer, and struggled to provide for her children. Saban married her third husband, Egyptian-born Israeli-American billionaire
Haim Saban Haim Saban (; ; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli and American media proprietor, investor, musical composer and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an ...
in 1987. They had two children through a surrogate (Saban had previously had a
hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus and cervix. Supracervical hysterectomy refers to removal of the uterus while the cervix is spared. These procedures may also involve removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy), fallopian tubes ( salpi ...
): son Ness (Hebrew for Miracle) and daughter Tanya. Ness was the eighth surrogate-born baby in the world and Tanya was the fortieth.What is Your SELF-WORTH? - A Woman's Guide to Validation By Cheryl Saban
retrieved July 17, 2013
Although Cheryl is a
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
, she agreed to raise the children
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
. The family always puts up a
Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...
and celebrates
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
weekly. Saban told the rabbi who married them: "Think of me as a Christian who believes in Judaism.” They reside in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...
.


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Screenwriting credits


Television

* ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...
'' (1993-1995) * ''
VR Troopers ''VR Troopers'' is a syndicated live-action superhero-adventure television series produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1994 to 1996. The show tried to profit from the fascination with virtual reality in the mid-1990s as well as t ...
'' (1994) * ''
Sweet Valley High ''Sweet Valley High'' is a series of young adult novels attributed to American author Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters to produce the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefi ...
'' (1995) * ''
Little Mouse on the Prairie ''Little Mouse on the Prairie'' ( zh, c=大草原上的小老鼠, p=Dàcǎoyuán Shàng De Xiǎo Lǎoshǔ) is a 26 episode animated series made by the cooperation of the US and China, loosely based on the ''Serendipity'' book by Stephen Cosgrove ...
'' (1996)


Film

* ''
Au Pair An au pair (; : au pairs) is a person working for, and living as part of, a homestay, host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for child care as well as some homemaking, housework, and receive a monetary ...
'' (1999) * '' Au Pair II'' (2001)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saban, Cheryl 1951 births American children's writers American Lutherans American non-fiction writers American self-help writers American thriller writers California Coast University alumni California Democrats Clinton Foundation people Living people People from Beverly Hills, California Writers from San Diego San Diego State University alumni Philanthropists from California 1970s Playboy Playmates American women children's writers American women thriller writers Novelists from California American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women