Dawn Steel

Dawn Leslie Steel (August 19, 1946 – December 20, 1997) was an American film studio executive and producer. She was one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio, rising through the ranks of merchandising and production to head Columbia Pictures in 1987.

Early life Steel was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York to Nathan "Nat" Steel (born Spielberg), a zipper salesman to the military and semi-professional weight lifter called the "Man of Steel," and Lillian Steel (née Tarlow), a businesswoman.

Lillian Tarlo Steel, Dawn's mother, died from lung cancer at age 55. She was the daughter of Nathan and Rebecca Tarlo, Polish immigrants. She had two brothers named Abraham and Paul. Their name became spelled T-A-R-L-O-W when Abraham joined the U.S. military during World War I. Paul and Abraham's children reside in NYC and Georgia, while Lillian's children live in California.

Dawn grew up in Manhattan and in Great Neck, New York, according to her autobiography. Her brother Larry Steel was her only sibling.

Both of her parents were of Russian-Jewish descent. When she was nine years old, Steel's father suffered a nervous breakdown, so her mother was the family's sole support. Steel hired attorney Sid Davidoff, a former top aide to Mayor John Lindsay. She also oversaw Top Gun (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987), and The Accused (1988), among others. She was the first female studio head. The first film she approved as president was Casualties of War; Pauline Kael said that "whatever else [Steel] does, she should be honored for that decision, because twenty years later this is still risky material." Under her tenure, the studio also released When Harry Met Sally... which had been developed and produced independently by Castle Rock productions. Steel's brief two-year tenure was marked by continued turmoil and losses, continuing a string of bad news begun under David Puttnam before her appointment. She was asked to leave the studio in 1989 and shortly thereafter Coca-Cola spun off the studio and exited the movie business; Columbia was thereafter sold to Sony Corporation of Japan. She resigned from this position on January 8, 1990.

Independent producing

Steel Pictures In 1990, Steel formed Steel Pictures in a production deal at The Walt Disney Company. She left Disney in 1993 after making two films, 1993's Cool Runnings, a comedy about the Jamaican bobsled team, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Cool Runnings was her first Disney film as a producer.

Atlas Entertainment In 1994, Steel formed Atlas Entertainment with husband Charles Roven and Bob Cavallo. They had a three-year first look deal with Turner Pictures. Her final two films before her death from cancer were Fallen and City of Angels.

Memoir In 1993, she wrote a memoir, They Can Kill You But They Can't Eat You, which described her time at Columbia. In the book Steel describes finding out – after giving birth to her daughter – that she was fired as President of Production at Paramount.

Personal life Steel's father changed the family surname from "Spielberg" before her birth. The name Steel was chosen to reflect her father's weightlifting career. with whom she had a daughter in 1987. after a 20-month battle against the disease. Her film City of Angels was dedicated to her memory.

Filmography She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film Year Film Notes 1992 Honey, I Blew Up the Kid 1993 Cool Runnings Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit 1995 Angus Final film as a producer 1998 Fallen Posthumous credit City of Angels Posthumous credit

Television Year Title Credit Notes 1993 For Our Children: The Concert Executive producer Television special

Works and publications Steel, Dawn. They Can Kill You but They Can't Eat You: Lessons from the Front. New York: Pocket Books, 1993. Steel, Dawn. They Can Kill You but They Can't Eat You. New York: Simon & Schuster AudioWorks, 1993. Audio book read by the author (cassette format). .