In 2019, our CEO Cynthia Lopez began including an In Memoriam in her quarterly letters, recognizing the luminaries in our community who we have lost.
The notes were not comprehensive but tried to recognize former NYWIFT presidents and NYWIFT members (past and present), and visionary women leaders in the media field. When available we used photography and video interviews from our NYWIFT Archive Project.
Join us in a look back at their incredible careers, by clicking through our gallery below.
May their legacies be an inspiration to all.
Moving forward, we will also include an In Memoriam section during our annual Muse Awards.
Please email rsmart@nywift.org with any updates.
Keeping our members informed about the health and well being of our community is vital.
Lenore DeKoven
Lenore DeKoven
NYWIFT Co-Founder, Director, Producer, Writer, and Educator
(1928 - May 24, 2024)
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leslie Shreve
leslie Shreve
NYWIFT Member, Actor, Makeup Artist, and Founder of Women in the Arts & Media Coalition
(January 10, 1945 - March 31, 2024)
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Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Actor, Singer, and Dancer
(January 23, 1933-January 30, 2024)
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Joyce Randolph
Joyce Randolph
Actor
(October 21, 1924 – January 13, 2024)
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Ellen Holly
Ellen Holly
Actor
(January 16, 1931 - December 6, 2023)
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Muriel "Mike" Peters
Muriel "Mike" Peters
Film Producer, Executive, and Former NYWIFT Board Member
(d. December 2023)
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Frances Sternhagen
Frances Sternhagen
Actor
(January 13, 1930 – November 27, 2023)
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Suzanne Shepherd
Suzanne Shepherd
Actor and Theatre Director
(October 31, 1934 – November 17, 2023)
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Joanna Merlin
Joanna Merlin
Casting Director and Actor
(July 15, 1931 – October 15, 2023)
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Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers
Actor, Author, and Businesswoman
(October 16, 1946 - October 15, 2023)
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Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie
Actor
(January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023)
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Pearl Bowser
Pearl Bowser
Film Historian, Filmmaker, and Archivist
(June 25, 1931 - September 14, 2023)
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Sheila Moriber Katz
Sheila Moriber Katz
NYWIFT Member, Pathologist and Former Dean, Hahnemann University School of Medicine
(February 1, 1943 - September 10, 2023)
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Nancy Buirski
Nancy Buirski
Documentary Filmmaker
(June 24, 1945 – August 30, 2023)
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Sinéad O’Connor
Sinéad O’Connor
Singer and Songwriter
(December 8, 1966 - July 26, 2023)
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Eva María Daniels
Eva María Daniels
Film Producer and Financier
(July 5, 1979 - June 30, 2023)
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Inga Swenson
Inga Swenson
Actor
(December 29, 1932 – July 23, 2023)
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Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Actor and Politician
(May 9, 1936 – June 15, 2023)
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Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Singer, Songwriter, and Actor
(November 26, 1939 - May 24, 2023)
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Blair Tindall
Blair Tindall
Musician and Author, Mozart and the Jungle
(February 2, 1960 – April 12, 2023)
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Charzette Torrence
Charzette Torrence
Artist, Photographer, Filmmaker, NYWIFT Member
(January 26, 1964 - March 18, 2023)
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Ellen Hovde
Ellen Hovde
Director and Editor
(March 9, 1925 - February 16, 2023)
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Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Broadcast Journalist, TV Personality, and 1997 NYWIFT Muse Honoree
(September 25, 1929 – December 30, 2022)
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Adrienne Mancia
Adrienne Mancia
Film Curator
(June 5, 1927 – December 11, 2022)
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Julia Reichert
Julia Reichert
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, feminist, and Co-Founder, New Day Films
(June 16, 1946 – December 1, 2022)
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Freddie Ross Hancock
Freddie Ross Hancock
Publicist, Marketing Consultant, and Founder of the East Coast branch of BAFTA
(April 7, 1930 – November 27, 2022)
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Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Golden Globe, Tony, and Grammy Award-Winning Actor and Singer
(October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022)
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Stacie O'Beirne
Stacie O'Beirne
Entertainment Insurance Broker and Longtime NYWIFT Supporter
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Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt
Actor and Activist
(October 17, 1917 – September 7, 2022)
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Marissa Kelton
Marissa Kelton
Actor and NYWIFT Member
(January 9, 1985 - August 17, 2022)
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Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Actor
(May 25, 1969 – August 14, 2022)
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Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Actor, Singer, and Dancer
(December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022)
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Mable Haddock
Mable Haddock
Founder, Black Public Media and 2006 NYWIFT Muse Honoree
(June 20, 1948 – July 23, 2022)
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Gloria Allen
Gloria Allen
Transgender Activist and Star of Mama Gloria
(October 6, 1945 – June 13, 2022))
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Michelle Materre
Michelle Materre
Producer, Writer, Educator, and Past NYWIFT Board Member
(May 12, 1954 – March 11, 2022)
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Gloria Rojas
Gloria Rojas
Broadcast Journalist
(April 1, 1939 – February 2, 2022)
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Betty White
Betty White
Actress and Comedian
(January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)
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Lina Wertmüller
Lina Wertmüller
Filmmaker
(August 14, 1928 – December 9, 2021)
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Ruth Gutman
Ruth Gutman
Producer, Writer, Director, and Past NYWIFT Board Member
(March 9, 1953 – November 17, 2021)
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Halyna Hutchins
Halyna Hutchins
Cinematographer
(1979 – October 21, 2021)
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Jenevieve Brewer
Jenevieve Brewer
Founder, Jenevieve Brewer Talent Management
(1977 – October 14, 2021)
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Anne K. Johnson
Anne K. Johnson
Production Account and Past President, IATSE Local 161
(1942 – October 4, 2021)
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Linda Kahn
Linda Kahn
President of Linda Kahn Media LLC, Former SVP of Scholastic Media, and Past NYWIFT President
(September 15, 1948 – August 30, 2021)
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Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Actress
(June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021)
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Marjorie Kalins Taylor
Marjorie Kalins Taylor
Television Executive and Past President, NYWIFT
(January 7, 1945 – April 28, 2021)
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Flavia Fontes
Flavia Fontes
Documentary Director, Editor, and Producer
(February 8, 1961 – April 18, 2021)
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Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Actress, Activist, and 1999 NYWIFT Muse Honoree
(December 18, 1924 – January 28, 2021)
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Joan Micklin Silver
Joan Micklin Silver
Filmmaker and NYWIFT Advisory Board Member
(May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020)
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Lynn Shelton
Lynn Shelton
Director and Actress
(August 27, 1965 – May 16, 2020)
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Barbara Hammer
Barbara Hammer
Experimental Filmmaker
(May 15, 1939 – March 16, 2019)
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Perry Miller Adato
Perry Miller Adato
Documentary Filmmaker
(December 22, 1920 – September 16, 2018)
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