Dame Donna Langley-Shamshiri DBE (born 1968 in London, UK) [1] [2] is a British film executive who is Chairman of Universal Studios and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Chief Content Officer. [3] [4]
Langley began her career as a production executive at New Line Cinema. In 2001, she became senior vice president of production at Universal Pictures. [5]
In her time at Universal, Langley has overseen the films Fast & Furious, Despicable Me, and Bourne. [6] She is known for cultivating strong relationships with filmmakers and writers. Langley backed Jordan Peele's directorial debut, Get Out, and his follow ups, Us and Nope. [7] Langley was also credited with recruiting director Christopher Nolan to Universal from Warner Bros. His movie Oppenheimer was added to a streak of successes for Langley in 2023, after M3GAN, Cocaine Bear, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. [8]
Her work includes overseeing the global specialty division, Focus Features, as well as Illumination and DreamWorks Animation, the latter being acquired by Universal in 2016. [6] Langley's role was expanded in 2023; as Chief Content Officer, she is not only responsible for overseeing Universal's film slate, but also the company's TV and streaming strategy. [7]
Throughout her career, she has supported mentorship opportunities for women. [9] Langley helped launch The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Film Mentorship program. [10] She also serves as an ambassador and board member for the nonprofit Vital Voices. [11]
Langley was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to film and entertainment. [12] [13]
Langley was adopted, and was brought up on the Isle of Wight [2]and attended carisbrooke college She was a pupil at Kent College in Canterbury. [14] She is married with two children, and lives in Los Angeles with her family. [9] [10]
External videos | |
---|---|
Donna Langley - Chairman of Universal Pictures interviewed by Madison Moellers, February 19, 2014 | |
Making it as a female movie mogul in Hollywood, Felicia Taylor, CNN, October 9, 2012 |