Lilly Tartikoff
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Lilly Tartikoff Karatz (née Samuels; born June 23, 1953 in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
) is an American activist, socialite, restaurateur and
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
fundraiser.


Early life and marriage

Born as Lilly Samuels, the daughter of Jack and Bluma Samuels, both
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivors, she attended public schools while growing up in Los Angeles and at the age of 10 received a
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
scholarship to study ballet at the David Lichine and Irina Kosmovska Ballet School. From ages 10 to 17 she danced with the Los Angeles Junior Ballet. When she was 17 years old she was invited by
George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
to attend the
School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...
on a Ford Foundation Scholarship. During her nine years at the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
, under the direction of Balanchine and
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
, she danced in Russia, Germany, Denmark, London, Paris and
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In 1982, Lilly Samuels married
Brandon Tartikoff Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Stre ...
, Chairman of Entertainment for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
. The couple had two daughters, Calla Lianne and Elizabeth Justine. In 1991, Calla, aged 8, suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident. She received intense
therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...
in order to walk and speak again, while Brandon received
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
for the third time for
Hodgkin's Disease Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...
. After a long illness, Brandon died on August 27, 1997, aged 48. In November 2009, she married
Bruce Karatz Bruce E. Karatz (born October 10, 1945) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is noted for his role as Chairman and CEO of KB Home,Berry, Kate (2004-9-6). "Coming home: Bruce Karatz started as in-house counsel, but learned the busines ...
, an American homebuilder and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
.


Philanthropic work

In 1990, along with
Ronald O. Perelman Ronald Owen Perelman (; born January 1, 1943) is an American banker, businessman and investor. MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, his company, has invested in companies with interests in groceries, cigars, licorice, makeup, cars, photography, t ...
, Chairman and CEO of
Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...
, she created the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program under the direction of
Dr. Dennis Slamon Dennis Joseph Slamon (born August 6, 1948), is an American oncologist and chief of the division of Hematology-Oncology at UCLA. He is best known for his work identifying the HER2/neu oncogene that is amplified in 25-33% of breast cancer patients ...
. The annual Fire & Ice Ball in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
was also established in 1990 to raise funds for this program. These funds were used to advance clinical trials which led to a new U.S.
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
(FDA) approved drug,
Herceptin Trastuzumab, sold under the brand name Herceptin among others, is a monoclonal antibody used to treat breast cancer and stomach cancer. It is specifically used for cancer that is HER2 receptor positive. It may be used by itself or together wi ...
, which increases responses and survival in women with the most aggressive form of
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
.
Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
and
Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...
produced the film Living Proof which follows the true story of Lilly Tartikoff Karatz and Ronald Perelman's efforts to raise money for Dr. Dennis Slamon's cutting-edge science. The film is also based on the book HER-2 written by
Robert Bazell Robert Bazell is adjunct professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. He is the former chief science and health correspondent for NBC News. Biography Education Bazell graduated from the University of California, ...
, which chronicles Dr. Slamon's development of the drug
Herceptin Trastuzumab, sold under the brand name Herceptin among others, is a monoclonal antibody used to treat breast cancer and stomach cancer. It is specifically used for cancer that is HER2 receptor positive. It may be used by itself or together wi ...
. The film aired on the Lifetime Channel in October 2008 during Breast Cancer Month. She co-founded the EIF Revlon Run/Walk For Women in Los Angeles with
Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...
and the
Entertainment Industry Foundation The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), based in Los Angeles, United States, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization of the entertainment industry. EIF funds more than 300 charitable organizations annually, both in the Los Angeles ...
(EIF) in 1993 and the EIF Revlon Run/Walk For Women in New York in 1998. Since then there is an EIF Revlon Run/Walk in both Los Angeles and New York every year which continues to raise funds to advance
cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...
. In 1997, she co-created the National Women's Cancer Research Alliance (NWCRA) along with EIF and seven leading scientists from around the nation. In 1998, she created, with EIF and the
QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...
shopping channel, the international "Cure By The Shore". Originally set at the International
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, the event was hosted in
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
, Principality of
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
in 2001. She partnered with
Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
and EIF to form the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA) in March 2000. In 2001, she launched the United Cancer Front, where Dr. Slamon is the organization's Chief Scientific Director. The United Cancer Front is an organization that helps raise funds to accelerate scientific discovery and delivery of breakthrough cancer therapies. In October 2000 in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, she received the Hope Award from the
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, and works to e ...
. In 2002 NCCS created the Lilly Tartikoff Hope Award to honor, remember and celebrate all whose lives have been touched by cancer. In October 2003, Lilly, Yves Carcelle (of
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...
) and Bob and Suzanne Wright co-chaired the first Annual Louis Vuitton United Cancer Front Gala to raise unrestricted funds for 35 of the most promising scientists to further the scientific discovery of breakthrough cancer therapies. In November 2004, along with Carcelle, the Wrights, Kelly and Ron Meyer (of
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
), and
Laura Ziskin Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer, known as the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (199 ...
, she co-chaired the second Annual Louis Vuitton United Cancer Front Gala. She became a Board Member of the
Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...
. She and her daughter Calla own The Colony Café, a Los Angeles restaurant.


Awards

*1991
Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...
Woman of the Year Award *1992 Norma Zarky Humanitarian Women in Film Award *1999 Spirit of Achievement Award presented by the National Women's Division of
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...
*2000
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, and works to e ...
1st Annual Hope Award *2000
Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...
Woman of the Year Award *2001 Red Book's Mothers & Shakers Award *2001 The Golden Scalpel Award from
Cedars Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...
for outstanding commitment to curing diseases that afflict the brain. *2002 Jefferson Awards National Recipient where she was honored with the S.
Roger Horchow Samuel Roger Horchow (July 3, 1928 – May 2, 2020) was an American retailer and Broadway producer. Horchow was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Beatrice (Schwartz) and Reuben Horchow, an attorney. In 1971, he started The Horchow Collection, ...
Award For Greatest Public Service by a Private CitizenJefferson Awards for Public Service
, jeffersonawards.org; accessed November 23, 2015.
*2002
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, and works to e ...
created the Lilly Tartikoff Hope Award to honor, remember and celebrate all whose lives have been touched by cancer. *2003 Golden Mike Award by the Broadcaster's Foundation *2006
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, and works to e ...
Ray of Hope Award


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tartikoff, Lilly Living people 1953 births Jewish American philanthropists American health activists American ballerinas New York City Ballet dancers Television producers from California American women television producers Businesspeople from Los Angeles