Chris Donahue
Encyclopedia
Chris Donahue is an American film and television producer. He was born in Dallas, Texas
, attended Jesuit College Preparatory, and currently resides in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the Producers Guild of America
. He is a trustee
for the Humanitas Prize
and holds graduate degrees from the American Film Institute
and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
, California.
Russia: A Prison of Nations and Nicaragua: A Land Divided. Through PBS affiliate work he was selected as a Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Fellow at WGBH
in Boston. For Paulist Pictures, he worked as Director of Development and co-produced Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
(1996
), a feature film starring Moira Kelly
and Martin Sheen
. In 1998 he received an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
(shared with director Chris Tashima
) for producing Visas and Virtue
, a narrative depiction of Holocaust rescuer Chiune Sugihara
. He also co-founded Cedar Grove Productions
with Tashima and playwright Tim Toyama
to produce the short film. He produced the 2000
feature, Straight Right and won an Emmy Award for the documentary, Be Good, Smile Pretty (2003), broadcast on the PBS series, Independent Lens
. From 2000 to 2006, Donahue served as Executive Director for the Humanitas Prize
, an annual writer's award that celebrates films and television shows that not only entertain, but also enrich the viewing public. Currently he is VP at the Shephard/Robin Company, creators of the TNT
television drama, The Closer
. He served as producer on the Lifetime Television
series, State of Mind
starring Lili Taylor
and currently serves as producer on the TNT drama, Trust Me
.
In addition to his producing credits, Donahue has taught film courses at the American Film Institute
and Loyola Marymount University
in Los Angeles.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, attended Jesuit College Preparatory, and currently resides in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
and the Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America
Producers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide...
. He is a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
for the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
and holds graduate degrees from the American Film Institute
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University is a Jesuit Seminary that is a school of Santa Clara University and one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California...
, California.
Career
Donahue received two consecutive-year New Orleans Press Club Awards, for the documentariesDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Russia: A Prison of Nations and Nicaragua: A Land Divided. Through PBS affiliate work he was selected as a Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
Fellow at WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston. For Paulist Pictures, he worked as Director of Development and co-produced Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
Entertaining Angels: the Dorothy Day Story is a 1996 independent film about the life of Dorothy Day, the journalist turned social activist and founder of the Catholic Worker newspaper. The film stars Moira Kelly as Day, Heather Graham, Lenny Von Dohlen and Martin Sheen.Both Kelly and Sheen are also...
(1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
), a feature film starring Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"...
and Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
. In 1998 he received an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
(shared with director Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
) for producing Visas and Virtue
Visas and Virtue
Visas and Virtue is a 1997 narrative short film inspired by the true story of Holocaust rescuer Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara, who is known as "The Japanese Schindler"...
, a narrative depiction of Holocaust rescuer Chiune Sugihara
Chiune Sugihara
was a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice-Consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania. During World War II, he helped several thousand Jews leave the country by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees so that they could travel to Japan. Most of the Jews who escaped were refugees from...
. He also co-founded Cedar Grove Productions
Cedar Grove Productions
Cedar Grove Productions is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, CA., specializing in media and theatre arts representing the Asian Pacific American community...
with Tashima and playwright Tim Toyama
Tim Toyama
Tim Toyama is a playwright and producer. He is Sansei presently living in Los Angeles, CA. He is co-founder of the Asian American media company Cedar Grove Productions, and its sister Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He attended C.S.U.N...
to produce the short film. He produced the 2000
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
feature, Straight Right and won an Emmy Award for the documentary, Be Good, Smile Pretty (2003), broadcast on the PBS series, Independent Lens
Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
. From 2000 to 2006, Donahue served as Executive Director for the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
, an annual writer's award that celebrates films and television shows that not only entertain, but also enrich the viewing public. Currently he is VP at the Shephard/Robin Company, creators of the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
television drama, The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
. He served as producer on the Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
series, State of Mind
State of Mind (TV series)
State of Mind is a one-hour drama series created by novelist Amy Bloom. The series starred Lili Taylor as psychiatrist Anne Bellowes, who unexpectedly finds her husband cheating on her with their marriage counselor. The series deals with Bellowes and her relationship with her patients as well as...
starring Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
and currently serves as producer on the TNT drama, Trust Me
Trust Me (TV series)
Trust Me is an American drama series that began airing on TNT on January 26, 2009 at 10 p.m Eastern/ 9 P.M Central. In Canada, Trust Me can be seen on Super Channel.Trust Me premiered with 3.4 million viewers....
.
In addition to his producing credits, Donahue has taught film courses at the American Film Institute
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
and Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
in Los Angeles.