Lynda Obst
Encyclopedia
Lynda Rosen Obst is a feature film producer. She was born in New York and is a graduate of Pomona College
in Claremont, CA. She worked as an editor at The New York Times
before moving to Los Angeles with her then-husband David Obst. Starting at The Geffen Film Company
as a "d-girl
", her first major project was developing the scripts that would eventually become Flashdance
.
She partnered with Debra Hill
in 1986. The partnership would go on to produce Adventures in Babysitting
, Heartbreak Hotel
and The Fisher King, among other projects.
Following The Fisher King (1991), Obst and Hill parted ways; Obst became an in-studio producer going on to produce such notable films as Sleepless in Seattle
, One Fine Day, Someone Like You
, Contact
, and The Siege
. She was one of the central figures in the battle over the Richard Preston
article Crisis in the Hot Zone
.
She is the author of the memoir Hello, He Lied (1996), which details her experiences in the modern studio system. in 2009, she completed principal photography as producer on the Ricky Gervais-Matthew Robinson co-writing and directing debut, The Invention of Lying
(originally titled "This Side of the Truth"), starring Ricky Gervais
and Jennifer Garner
. The film was released in October 2009. She is also the producer of Gurinder Chada's, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, to be released by Nickelodeon.
She is currently writing and producing the upcoming film to be directed by Steven Spielberg
called Interstellar.
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in Claremont, CA. She worked as an editor at The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
before moving to Los Angeles with her then-husband David Obst. Starting at The Geffen Film Company
The Geffen Film Company
The Geffen Film Company was a film distributor and production company founded by David Geffen, the founder of Geffen Records, and future co-founder of DreamWorks. Geffen founded the company in 1980, having recruited Eric Eisner as president, and distributed its films through Warner Bros...
as a "d-girl
D-Girl
"D-Girl" is a song by the American R&B singer Brooke Valentine. The song was released on May 16, 2006 to iTunes as the first single for Valentine's second studio album, Physical Education...
", her first major project was developing the scripts that would eventually become Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
.
She partnered with Debra Hill
Debra Hill
Debra Hill was an American screenwriter and film producer, who co-wrote the horror film Halloween, its first sequel Halloween II, and The Fog.-Early life:...
in 1986. The partnership would go on to produce Adventures in Babysitting
Adventures in Babysitting
Adventures in Babysitting is a 1987 American comedy film written by David Simkins, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Penelope Ann Miller, Bradley Whitford, and a brief cameo by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins...
, Heartbreak Hotel
Heartbreak Hotel (film)
Heartbreak Hotel is a 1988 comedy film written and directed by Chris Columbus and starring David Keith and Tuesday Weld. Set in 1972, the story deals with one of the many "legends" involving Elvis Presley about his fictional kidnapping, and his subsequent redemption from decadence.The film was...
and The Fisher King, among other projects.
Following The Fisher King (1991), Obst and Hill parted ways; Obst became an in-studio producer going on to produce such notable films as Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepless in Seattle
The film was originally to have been scored by John Barry, but when he was given a list of 20 songs he had to put in the film, he quit.#As Time Goes By - Jimmy Durante #A Kiss to Build a Dream on - Louis Armstrong #Stardust - Nat King Cole...
, One Fine Day, Someone Like You
Someone Like You (film)
Someone Like You is a 2001 romantic comedy film, based on Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry which tells a story of a heartbroken woman who is looking for the reason she was dumped. The film stars Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman and Marisa Tomei and was directed by Tony Goldwyn...
, Contact
Contact (film)
Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
, and The Siege
The Siege
The Siege is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks on New York City...
. She was one of the central figures in the battle over the Richard Preston
Richard Preston
Richard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
article Crisis in the Hot Zone
Crisis in the Hot Zone
Crisis in the Hot Zone was the title of a 1992 non-fiction article by Richard Preston in The New Yorker. It chronicles the story of how the U.S...
.
She is the author of the memoir Hello, He Lied (1996), which details her experiences in the modern studio system. in 2009, she completed principal photography as producer on the Ricky Gervais-Matthew Robinson co-writing and directing debut, The Invention of Lying
The Invention of Lying
The Invention of Lying is a 2009 fantasy romantic comedy film that is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. This film is the directorial debut of Gervais. The film stars Ricky Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie...
(originally titled "This Side of the Truth"), starring Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
and Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
. The film was released in October 2009. She is also the producer of Gurinder Chada's, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, to be released by Nickelodeon.
She is currently writing and producing the upcoming film to be directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
called Interstellar.
Publications
- Dirty Dreams: A Novel (New Amer Library Trade: New York, NY, 1990. ISBN 0-453-00731-7)
- Hello, He Lied (Little, Brown & Company: New York, NY, 1996. ISBN 0-316-62211-7)
Selected filmography
- FlashdanceFlashdanceAnother song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
(1983) (Associate Producer) - Adventures in BabysittingAdventures in BabysittingAdventures in Babysitting is a 1987 American comedy film written by David Simkins, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Penelope Ann Miller, Bradley Whitford, and a brief cameo by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins...
(1987) (Producer) - Heartbreak HotelHeartbreak Hotel (film)Heartbreak Hotel is a 1988 comedy film written and directed by Chris Columbus and starring David Keith and Tuesday Weld. Set in 1972, the story deals with one of the many "legends" involving Elvis Presley about his fictional kidnapping, and his subsequent redemption from decadence.The film was...
(1988) (Co-Producer) - The Fisher KingThe Fisher King (film)The Fisher King is a 1991 American comedy-drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Michael Jeter...
(1991) (Producer) - Sleepless in SeattleSleepless in SeattleThe film was originally to have been scored by John Barry, but when he was given a list of 20 songs he had to put in the film, he quit.#As Time Goes By - Jimmy Durante #A Kiss to Build a Dream on - Louis Armstrong #Stardust - Nat King Cole...
(1993) (Producer) - Bad GirlsBad Girls (film)Bad Girls is a 1994 western film starring Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell and Drew Barrymore. It was directed by Jonathan Kaplan from a screenplay by Ken Friedman and Yolande Turner.-Plot:...
(1994) (Executive Producer) - One Fine Day (1996) (Producer)
- ContactContact (film)Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
(1997) (Executive Producer) - The SiegeThe SiegeThe Siege is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks on New York City...
(1998) (Producer) - Hope FloatsHope FloatsHope Floats is a 1998 American romantic drama film directed by Forest Whitaker, and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr. and Gena Rowlands....
(1998) (Producer) - Someone Like YouSomeone Like You (film)Someone Like You is a 2001 romantic comedy film, based on Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry which tells a story of a heartbroken woman who is looking for the reason she was dumped. The film stars Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman and Marisa Tomei and was directed by Tony Goldwyn...
(2001) (Producer) - AbandonAbandon (film)Abandon is a 2002 American thriller film released by Paramount Pictures and Touchstone Pictures. It was written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, starring Katie Holmes as a college student whose boyfriend disappeared two years previously...
(2002) (Producer) - How To Lose A Guy In 10 DaysHow to Lose a Guy in 10 DaysHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a 2003 romantic comedy film, directed by Donald Petrie, starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. It is based on a short cartoon book of the same name by Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long.-Plot:...
(2003) (Producer) - The Invention of LyingThe Invention of LyingThe Invention of Lying is a 2009 fantasy romantic comedy film that is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. This film is the directorial debut of Gervais. The film stars Ricky Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie...
(2009) (Producer) - Hot in ClevelandHot in ClevelandHot in Cleveland is an American sitcom on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. The series, which is TV Land's first original scripted series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was TV Land's highest rated telecast in the cable network's 14-year history. The...
(2010–present) (Executive Producer)