In Memoriam

 

In 2019, our CEO Cynthia Lopez began including an In Memoriam in her quarterly letters, recognizing the luminaries in our community who we have lost.

The notes were not comprehensive but tried to recognize former NYWIFT presidents and NYWIFT members (past and present), and visionary women leaders in the media field. When available we used photography and video interviews from our NYWIFT Archive Project.

Join us in a look back at their incredible careers, by clicking through our gallery below. 

May their legacies be an inspiration to all.

Moving forward, we will also include an In Memoriam section during our annual Muse Awards.  

Please email rsmart@nywift.org with any updates. 

Keeping our members informed about the health and well being of our community is vital.

 

Lenore DeKoven

Lenore DeKoven

NYWIFT Co-Founder, Director, Producer, Writer, and Educator

(1928 - May 24, 2024)
READ MORE
leslie Shreve

leslie Shreve

NYWIFT Member, Actor, Makeup Artist, and Founder of Women in the Arts & Media Coalition

(January 10, 1945 - March 31, 2024)
READ MORE
Chita Rivera

Chita Rivera

Actor, Singer, and Dancer

(January 23, 1933-January 30, 2024)
READ MORE
Joyce Randolph

Joyce Randolph

Actor

(October 21, 1924 – January 13, 2024)
READ MORE
Ellen Holly

Ellen Holly

Actor

(January 16, 1931 - December 6, 2023)
READ MORE
Muriel "Mike" Peters

Muriel "Mike" Peters

Film Producer, Executive, and Former NYWIFT Board Member

(d. December 2023)
READ MORE
Frances Sternhagen

Frances Sternhagen

Actor

(January 13, 1930 – November 27, 2023)
READ MORE
Suzanne Shepherd

Suzanne Shepherd

Actor and Theatre Director

(October 31, 1934 – November 17, 2023)
READ MORE
Joanna Merlin

Joanna Merlin

Casting Director and Actor

(July 15, 1931 – October 15, 2023)
READ MORE
Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers

Actor, Author, and Businesswoman

(October 16, 1946 - October 15, 2023)
READ MORE
Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie

Actor

(January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023)
READ MORE
Pearl Bowser

Pearl Bowser

Film Historian, Filmmaker, and Archivist

(June 25, 1931 - September 14, 2023)
READ MORE
Sheila Moriber Katz

Sheila Moriber Katz

NYWIFT Member, Pathologist and Former Dean, Hahnemann University School of Medicine

(February 1, 1943 - September 10, 2023)
READ MORE
Nancy Buirski

Nancy Buirski

Documentary Filmmaker

(June 24, 1945 – August 30, 2023)
READ MORE
Sinéad O’Connor

Sinéad O’Connor

Singer and Songwriter

(December 8, 1966 - July 26, 2023)
READ MORE
Eva María Daniels

Eva María Daniels

Film Producer and Financier

(July 5, 1979 - June 30, 2023)
READ MORE
Inga Swenson

Inga Swenson

Actor

(December 29, 1932 – July 23, 2023)
READ MORE
Glenda Jackson

Glenda Jackson

Actor and Politician

(May 9, 1936 – June 15, 2023)
READ MORE
Tina Turner

Tina Turner

Singer, Songwriter, and Actor

(November 26, 1939 - May 24, 2023)
READ MORE
Blair Tindall

Blair Tindall

Musician and Author, Mozart and the Jungle

(February 2, 1960 – April 12, 2023)
READ MORE
Charzette Torrence

Charzette Torrence

Artist, Photographer, Filmmaker, NYWIFT Member

(January 26, 1964 - March 18, 2023)
READ MORE
Ellen Hovde

Ellen Hovde

Director and Editor

(March 9, 1925 - February 16, 2023)
READ MORE
Barbara Walters

Barbara Walters

Broadcast Journalist, TV Personality, and 1997 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(September 25, 1929 – December 30, 2022)
READ MORE
Adrienne Mancia

Adrienne Mancia

Film Curator

(June 5, 1927 – December 11, 2022)
READ MORE
Julia Reichert

Julia Reichert

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, feminist, and Co-Founder, New Day Films

(June 16, 1946 – December 1, 2022)
READ MORE
Freddie Ross Hancock

Freddie Ross Hancock

Publicist, Marketing Consultant, and Founder of the East Coast branch of BAFTA

(April 7, 1930 – November 27, 2022)
READ MORE
Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury

Golden Globe, Tony, and Grammy Award-Winning Actor and Singer

(October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022)
READ MORE
Stacie O'Beirne

Stacie O'Beirne

Entertainment Insurance Broker and Longtime NYWIFT Supporter
READ MORE
Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt

Actor and Activist

(October 17, 1917 – September 7, 2022)
READ MORE
Marissa Kelton

Marissa Kelton

Actor and NYWIFT Member

(January 9, 1985 - August 17, 2022)
READ MORE
Anne Heche

Anne Heche

Actor

(May 25, 1969 – August 14, 2022)
READ MORE
Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols

Actor, Singer, and Dancer

(December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022)
READ MORE
Mable Haddock

Mable Haddock

Founder, Black Public Media and 2006 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(June 20, 1948 – July 23, 2022)
READ MORE
Gloria Allen

Gloria Allen

Transgender Activist and Star of Mama Gloria

(October 6, 1945 – June 13, 2022))
READ MORE
Michelle Materre

Michelle Materre

Producer, Writer, Educator, and Past NYWIFT Board Member

(May 12, 1954 – March 11, 2022)
READ MORE
Gloria Rojas

Gloria Rojas

Broadcast Journalist

(April 1, 1939 – February 2, 2022)
READ MORE
Betty White

Betty White

Actress and Comedian

(January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)
READ MORE
Lina Wertmüller

Lina Wertmüller

Filmmaker

(August 14, 1928 – December 9, 2021)
READ MORE
Ruth Gutman

Ruth Gutman

Producer, Writer, Director, and Past NYWIFT Board Member

(March 9, 1953 – November 17, 2021)
READ MORE
Halyna Hutchins

Halyna Hutchins

Cinematographer

(1979 – October 21, 2021)
READ MORE
Jenevieve Brewer

Jenevieve Brewer

Founder, Jenevieve Brewer Talent Management

(1977 – October 14, 2021)
READ MORE
Anne K. Johnson

Anne K. Johnson

Production Account and Past President, IATSE Local 161

(1942 – October 4, 2021)
READ MORE
Linda Kahn

Linda Kahn

President of Linda Kahn Media LLC, Former SVP of Scholastic Media, and Past NYWIFT President

(September 15, 1948 – August 30, 2021)
READ MORE
Olympia Dukakis

Olympia Dukakis

Actress

(June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021)
READ MORE
Marjorie Kalins Taylor

Marjorie Kalins Taylor

Television Executive and Past President, NYWIFT

(January 7, 1945 – April 28, 2021)
READ MORE
Flavia Fontes

Flavia Fontes

Documentary Director, Editor, and Producer

(February 8, 1961 – April 18, 2021)
READ MORE
Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson

Actress, Activist, and 1999 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(December 18, 1924 – January 28, 2021)
READ MORE
Joan Micklin Silver

Joan Micklin Silver

Filmmaker and NYWIFT Advisory Board Member

(May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020)
READ MORE
Lynn Shelton

Lynn Shelton

Director and Actress

(August 27, 1965 – May 16, 2020)
READ MORE
Barbara Hammer

Barbara Hammer

Experimental Filmmaker

(May 15, 1939 – March 16, 2019)
READ MORE
Perry Miller Adato

Perry Miller Adato

Documentary Filmmaker

(December 22, 1920 – September 16, 2018)
READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER