In Memoriam - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

In 2019, our Executive Director 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.

Sincerely,

Simone Pero
Chair, NYWIFT Presidents Circle

Barbara Walters

Broadcast Journalist, TV Personality, and 1997 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(September 25, 1929 – December 30, 2022)

Adrienne Mancia

Film Curator

(June 5, 1927 – December 11, 2022)

Julia Reichert

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

(June 16, 1946 – December 1, 2022)

Freddie Ross Hancock

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

(April 7, 1930 – November 27, 2022)

Angela Lansbury

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

(October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022)

Stacie O'Beirne

Entertainment Insurance Broker and Longtime NYWIFT Supporter

Marsha Hunt

Actor and Activist

(October 17, 1917 – September 7, 2022)

Anne Heche

Actor

(May 25, 1969 – August 14, 2022)

Nichelle Nichols

Actor, Singer, and Dancer

(December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022)

Mable Haddock

Founder, Black Public Media and 2006 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(June 20, 1948 – July 23, 2022)

Gloria Allen

Transgender Activist and Star of Mama Gloria

(October 6, 1945 – June 13, 2022))

Michelle Materre

Producer, Writer, Educator, and Past NYWIFT Board Member

(May 12, 1954 – March 11, 2022)

Gloria Rojas

Broadcast Journalist

(April 1, 1939 – February 2, 2022)

Betty White

Actress and Comedian

(January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)

Lina Wertmüller

Filmmaker

(August 14, 1928 – December 9, 2021)

Ruth Gutman

Producer, Writer, Director, and Past NYWIFT Board Member

(March 9, 1953 – November 17, 2021)

Halyna Hutchins

Cinematographer

(1979 – October 21, 2021)

Jenevieve Brewer

Founder, Jenevieve Brewer Talent Management

(1977 – October 14, 2021)

Anne K. Johnson

Production Account and Past President, IATSE Local 161

(1942 – October 4, 2021)

Linda Kahn

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

(September 15, 1948 – August 30, 2021)

Olympia Dukakis

Actress

(June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021)

Marjorie Kalins Taylor

Television Executive and Past President, NYWIFT

(January 7, 1945 – April 28, 2021)

Flavia Fontes

Documentary Director, Editor, and Producer

(February 8, 1961 – April 18, 2021)

Cicely Tyson

Actress, Activist, and 1999 NYWIFT Muse Honoree

(December 18, 1924 – January 28, 2021)

Joan Micklin Silver

Filmmaker and NYWIFT Advisory Board Member

(May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020)

Lynn Shelton

Director and Actress

(August 27, 1965 – May 16, 2020)

Barbara Hammer

Experimental Filmmaker

(May 15, 1939 – March 16, 2019)

Perry Miller Adato

Documentary Filmmaker

(December 22, 1920 – September 16, 2018)