16 Astonishing Facts About The Woman Responsible For Almost All Of Your Favorite Movies Ever
She's produced films like E.T., Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List...NBD, right?
1. This is Kathleen Kennedy and she has produced over 60 films, which have collectively received 120 Academy Award nominations with 25 wins.
And, no, she's not related to THAT Kennedy family.
2. In fact, she's produced four of the highest-grossing films in motion picture history ever: Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and The Sixth Sense.
Amazing.
3. She's also the third highest-grossing film producer to date.
Just behind Steven Spielberg and Kevin Feige (president of Marvel Studios).
4. Kennedy's films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide.
Damn.
5. She co-founded a film production company called Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and her husband Frank Marshall in 1982.
You probably recognize the logo.
6. Her first feature film credit as a producer was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Kennedy (on the left) was just 29 years old at the time.
7. And here's just a sample of some of the other classic films from your childhood she's produced: The Goonies, Back to the Future (all three films), Gremlins, An American Tail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Hook, to name JUST a few.
Director Bob Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, and producers Kathy Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, and Frank Marshall on the set of Back to the Future.
8. But, she's also produced some more ~serious~ films like The Color Purple, The Bridges of Madison County, Schindler's List, The Sixth Sense, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Munich, and Lincoln.
NO BIG DEAL.
9. In fact, Kennedy's resume is so impressive that George Lucas said she was the "obvious choice" to takeover his company Lucasfilm when he retired back in 2012.
Lucas said, "for me, Kathy was the obvious choice, she is a trusted friend and one of the most respected producers and executives in the industry.”
10. And he asked her if she'd be his replacement over lunch.
When he told her, she was surprised and thought he was asking her to lunch for suggestions of other people to take over.
11. As the head of Lucasfilm, Kennedy can now add all the Star Wars films since The Force Awakens to her producing belt, too.
And I legitimately don't care if you loved them all or not, because that is one very impressive feat.
12. Kennedy's history with Spielberg and Lucas goes all the way back to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
She was an associate producer on the groundbreaking film.
13. Kennedy first met Spielberg working as an assistant to screenwriter John Milius.
At that time Milius was working as a producer on Spielberg's film 1941 and, from there, Spielberg hired Kennedy to work for him.
14. Outside of her film work, at the age of 36, Kennedy actually won the 1989 U.S. nationals for her age class in javelin.
This was only a few months after taking up the sport, too!
15. She was also the quarterback for her middle-school football team.
And, yes, it was on a squad with boys.
16. And finally, Kathleen Kennedy has been called "the most powerful woman in Hollywood."
Damn, straight.