Kate Edelman Johnson
Encyclopedia
Kate Edelman Johnson is the daughter of the motion picture producer, Louis F. Edelman
, and the widow of Deane F. Johnson, entertainment attorney and Managing Partner of O’Melveny & Meyers, who later became President of Warner Communication, Inc. and Time-Warner, Inc.
She is a film producer in her own right. She started her career working for her father on his many television series and then moved to New York to work for Roone Arledge at ABC Sports producing segments for everything from Monday Night Football to their acclaimed golf series. She also worked as an entertainment consultant to Hallmark Television and for Radio Television Luxembourg (RTL). In addition, for her family, she manages the rights to some of the successful television series’ produced by her late father in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These include such celebrated classics as “Make Room for Daddy”, “The Real McCoys”, “The Barbara Stanwyck Show”, “The Big Valley”, “The Adventures of Jim Bowie” and “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp”. The first boxed sets of the latter two classic series are presently available in stores and the newly released “The Barbara Stanwyck Theatre” is enjoying brisk sales. Her project, “Cuba and the Night” developed with Peter Barsocchini of “High School Musical” fame, is in discussion.
Besides keeping the old shows in syndication worldwide, Kate is also actively involved in creating new works based on these perennial characters, developing screenplays and TV series. Some of her other producing credits include, “TAG: The Assassination Game”, “Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone” for CBS, and “Saving Grace”, the Emmy-nominated documentary. She is presently in pre-production on a feature film based on her father’s highly successful TV series “The Big Valley”. Its stars include Jessica Lange
and Lee Majors
, who originally created the roll of Heath, will now play his own father. Veteran director Daniel Adams
is set to write and direct. Her late husband left her the rights to the iconic film “A Streetcar Named Desire” which he co-produced. She maximizes its potential by keeping it in syndication and licensing film clips throughout the world. 80% of what she earns from “Streetcar” goes to support the work of The Motion Picture and Television Fund.
After her husband’s death, Kate created The Deane F. Johnson Alzheimer’s Research Foundation dedicated to funding research focused on the prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease. Today, she chairs the Board of Directors and works to mobilize funding to support the Foundation’s priorities and goals.
In October 2004 Kate and Dr. Jeffrey Cummings
, M.D., Director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center (named #3 in the world for Alzheimer’s research) created a significant milestone, opening The Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA. The Center addresses one of the most critical bottlenecks in the advancement of the search for the cure to Alzheimer’s disease: recruiting sufficient people to enroll in clinical trials and supporting these patients through the full regime of testing. To date, Kate’s leadership through the Foundation’s work has enabled Dr. Cummings and his research team to conduct well over 50 clinical trials and train groups of scientists from around the world on how to conduct clinical trials.
In August 2006, Kate and Dr. Cummings were invited to China to speak about the Johnson Center and to discuss the latest advancing treatments. This has resulted in discussions for a sister facility to the Johnson Center being developed in both Schezuan Province and in Beijing where they will share information and scientific findings using both Western technology and Eastern sensibilities. In September 2009, Dr. Cummings was the keynote speaker at The International Alzheimer’s conference at Queen Sofia’s Alzheimer’s Center in Madrid. Kate and Dr. Cummings just initiated a partnership with the Ambassador Health Care facilities in Fishers, Indiana that was announced at an event attended by President George H.W. Bush. The program is called Telemedicine and it is an audio/visual method for Dr. Cummings to consult with doctors and caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. This is the pilot program that will be expanded to health care facilities around the world.
In addition to her leadership of the Board of The Deane F. Johnson Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, Kate is a Trustee of the Actors’ Fund of America and also serves on the Council of the Next Generation of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. She is a major supporter of the American Film Institute and United Cerebral Palsy, in memory of her mother Rita Edelman, President for Life of the Los Angeles Chapter.
Louis F. Edelman
Louis F. Edelman , was an American screenwriter and producer. He produced thirty-nine films between 1935 and 1952.He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California....
, and the widow of Deane F. Johnson, entertainment attorney and Managing Partner of O’Melveny & Meyers, who later became President of Warner Communication, Inc. and Time-Warner, Inc.
She is a film producer in her own right. She started her career working for her father on his many television series and then moved to New York to work for Roone Arledge at ABC Sports producing segments for everything from Monday Night Football to their acclaimed golf series. She also worked as an entertainment consultant to Hallmark Television and for Radio Television Luxembourg (RTL). In addition, for her family, she manages the rights to some of the successful television series’ produced by her late father in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These include such celebrated classics as “Make Room for Daddy”, “The Real McCoys”, “The Barbara Stanwyck Show”, “The Big Valley”, “The Adventures of Jim Bowie” and “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp”. The first boxed sets of the latter two classic series are presently available in stores and the newly released “The Barbara Stanwyck Theatre” is enjoying brisk sales. Her project, “Cuba and the Night” developed with Peter Barsocchini of “High School Musical” fame, is in discussion.
Besides keeping the old shows in syndication worldwide, Kate is also actively involved in creating new works based on these perennial characters, developing screenplays and TV series. Some of her other producing credits include, “TAG: The Assassination Game”, “Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone” for CBS, and “Saving Grace”, the Emmy-nominated documentary. She is presently in pre-production on a feature film based on her father’s highly successful TV series “The Big Valley”. Its stars include Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
and Lee Majors
Lee Majors
Lee Majors is an American television, film and voice actor, best known for his starring role as Colonel Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy ....
, who originally created the roll of Heath, will now play his own father. Veteran director Daniel Adams
Daniel Adams (director)
Daniel Adams is an American feature film director. He wrote and directed The Golden Boys, starring David Carradine, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, Charles Durning, and Mariel Hemingway, which was released in 2008....
is set to write and direct. Her late husband left her the rights to the iconic film “A Streetcar Named Desire” which he co-produced. She maximizes its potential by keeping it in syndication and licensing film clips throughout the world. 80% of what she earns from “Streetcar” goes to support the work of The Motion Picture and Television Fund.
After her husband’s death, Kate created The Deane F. Johnson Alzheimer’s Research Foundation dedicated to funding research focused on the prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease. Today, she chairs the Board of Directors and works to mobilize funding to support the Foundation’s priorities and goals.
In October 2004 Kate and Dr. Jeffrey Cummings
Jeffrey Cummings
Jeffrey Cummings is professor of neurology at the UCLA.Cummings graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wyoming, Laramie and obtained his MD degree from the University of Washington, Seattle. He completed internship at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut and did his Neurology...
, M.D., Director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center (named #3 in the world for Alzheimer’s research) created a significant milestone, opening The Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA. The Center addresses one of the most critical bottlenecks in the advancement of the search for the cure to Alzheimer’s disease: recruiting sufficient people to enroll in clinical trials and supporting these patients through the full regime of testing. To date, Kate’s leadership through the Foundation’s work has enabled Dr. Cummings and his research team to conduct well over 50 clinical trials and train groups of scientists from around the world on how to conduct clinical trials.
In August 2006, Kate and Dr. Cummings were invited to China to speak about the Johnson Center and to discuss the latest advancing treatments. This has resulted in discussions for a sister facility to the Johnson Center being developed in both Schezuan Province and in Beijing where they will share information and scientific findings using both Western technology and Eastern sensibilities. In September 2009, Dr. Cummings was the keynote speaker at The International Alzheimer’s conference at Queen Sofia’s Alzheimer’s Center in Madrid. Kate and Dr. Cummings just initiated a partnership with the Ambassador Health Care facilities in Fishers, Indiana that was announced at an event attended by President George H.W. Bush. The program is called Telemedicine and it is an audio/visual method for Dr. Cummings to consult with doctors and caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. This is the pilot program that will be expanded to health care facilities around the world.
In addition to her leadership of the Board of The Deane F. Johnson Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, Kate is a Trustee of the Actors’ Fund of America and also serves on the Council of the Next Generation of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. She is a major supporter of the American Film Institute and United Cerebral Palsy, in memory of her mother Rita Edelman, President for Life of the Los Angeles Chapter.