Dame Donna Langley-Shamshiri (born 1968 in London, UK) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

film executive who is Chairwoman of

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Chief Content Officer.

Career

After moving to L.A and waitressing, Langley became an assistant to a talent manager. Shortly after, Langley met

Michael De Luca Michael De Luca (born August 13, 1965) is an American film studio executive, film producer and screenwriter. He is also the former president of production at both New Line Cinema and DreamWorks. De Luca has been nominated for three Academy Aw ...

who gave her a job as a production executive at

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

. In 2001, she became senior vice president of production at Universal Pictures. She was then promoted to Chair of Universal Pictures in 2013, Chair of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group in 2019, and Chair of NBCUniversal Studio Group and Chief Content Officer in 2023. Langley is one of the longest tenured studio heads in Hollywood history. In her time at Universal, Langley has overseen the ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'', also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'', is an American Action film, action media franchise centered on a series of films revolving around street racing, heist film, heists, and spy film, spies. The franchise also inclu ...

'', ''

Despicable Me ''Despicable Me'' is an American media franchise created by Sergio Pablos, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It centers on a supervillain turned secret agent named Gru, his adoptive daughters, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and his yellow-colored Minions ...

'', and '' Bourne'' film franchises. She is known for cultivating strong relationships with filmmakers and writers. Langley backed

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for his film and television work in the Comedy film, comedy and Horror film, horror genres. He has received List of awards and nominations r ...

's directorial debut, ''

Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...

'', and his follow ups, '' Us'' and '' Nope''. Langley was also credited with recruiting director

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

to Universal from

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

His movie '' Oppenheimer'' was added to a streak of successes for Langley in 2023, after ''

M3GAN ''M3GAN'' (pronounced "Megan") is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper, based on a story by Cooper and James Wan. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw star, Amie Donald phys ...

'', '' Cocaine Bear'', and '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''. Her work includes overseeing the global specialty division,

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...

, as well as the animation studios Illumination and

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...

, the latter being acquired by Universal in 2016. Langley's role was expanded in 2023; as Chief Content Officer, she is not only responsible for overseeing Universal's film slate, but also the company's TV and streaming strategy. Throughout her career, she has supported mentorship opportunities for women. Langley helped launch The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Film Mentorship program. She also serves as an ambassador and board member for the nonprofit

Vital Voices Vital Voices Global Partnership is an American international, 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organiza ...

. Langley was appointed

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to film and entertainment.

Recognition

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

ranked her as the 57th most powerful woman in the world in 2023.

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

consistently ranks Donna among the most powerful women and executives in Hollywood, including labeling as "top female film executive" in 2024. She has also been listed as one of Time Magazine's most powerful people in the world.

Personal life

Langley was adopted, and was brought up on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

. She attended Carisbrooke College, and was a pupil at Kent College in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

. She is married with two children, and lives in Los Angeles with her family.

References

External links

Donna Langley
on universalpictures.com * * 1968 births 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen American chairpersons of corporations American film studio executives American women business executives British businesspeople British emigrants to the United States Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Living people NBCUniversal people People educated at Kent College Universal Pictures {{US-film-bio-stub