Thomas Mitchell Sherak (June 22, 1945 – January 28, 2014) was an American film producer who was president of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

Biography

Sherak was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and studied at

New York City Community College The New York City College of Technology (City Tech) is a public college in New York City. Founded in 1946, it is the City University of New York's college of technology. History City Tech was founded in 1946 as The New York State Institute of ...

where he earned a degree in marketing. He joined Paramount Pictures in 1970 working in distribution offices in New York,

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, Na ...

and

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. He became vice president and head film buyer at General Cinema and then moved to 20th Century Fox in 1983, serving as president of domestic distribution before becoming chairman of their domestic group. He oversaw the release of '' Aliens'' (1986), ''

Die Hard ''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Al ...

'' (1988), '' Home Alone'' (1990), ''

Mrs. Doubtfire ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It was written for the screen by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel ''Alias Madame Doubtfire'' by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also s ...

'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996). In 2000, he joined

Revolution Studios Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC is an American motion picture and television studio headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming. The company focuses primarily on the distribution, remake and sequel rights to titles in its libra ...

and oversaw the release of 30 films in seven years, including ''

The One The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...

'', for which he was executive producer, and '' Black Hawk Down'' (both 2001). In 2003, he became one of the Board of Governors of the executives branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and in 2009 he became Academy President and served the maximum three terms. He was succeeded by

Hawk Koch Howard Winchel "Hawk" Koch Jr. (born December 14, 1945) is an American film producer, the former president of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America, and a former road manager for the musical grou ...

in 2012. On September 26, 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Tom Sherak as director of the newly created Mayor's Entertainment Industry and Production Office. He appeared as an actor in an episode of '' NYPD Blue'' and in the film '' Columbus Circle'' (2012). He was married to Madeleine and had three children, including Melissa and William. He served as chairman of the MS Dinner of Champions for two decades, helping raise millions of dollars for multiple sclerosis research, an illness that his daughter Melissa had. He received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award in 2011 from the

American Academy of Neurology The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is a professional society representing over 38,000 neurologists and neuroscientists. As a medical specialty society it was established in 1948 by A.B. Baker of the University of Minnesota to advance the ...

. He was also chairman of the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneer Foundation and served on the board of the

Motion Picture & Television Fund The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as tempo ...

and

Variety, the Children's Charity Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...

of Southern California. Sherak died on January 28, 2014, in Calabasas, California, of prostate cancer. He was 68Tom Sherak dies at 68; former head of motion picture academy
latimes.com; accessed January 30, 2017. and is buried at

Mount Sinai Simi Valley Mount Sinai Simi Valley is a Jewish cemetery located at 6150 Mount Sinai Drive, in Simi Valley, California; which opened in 1997. History Mount Sinai Simi Valley was a sister property to Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills when members of the Cemete ...

. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6910 Hollywood Blvd.

References

External links

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UCLA: Tom Sherak's biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherak, Tom 1945 births 2014 deaths Presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences American film studio executives 20th Century Studios people American film producers Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in California People from Brooklyn Male actors from New York City