Tom Sherak Biography

Fast Facts

• Served in the Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in the U․S
• A star for him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, meant to be presented in February 2014, was installed just a few hours before he died
• Was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for prostate cancer when he accepted the job as Los Angeles film czar, which came with a salary of $1 a year
• Worked as a film buyer for General Cinema in Boston before joining 20th Century Fox in 1983
• Joined a Paramount Pictures training program in 1970, working in distribution offices in the Midwest and the East Coast
• Quote: "Those are the things that stay with you․ There's nothing like going to a movie theater, sitting down for two hours in the dark and forgetting all your troubles․"
• Quote: "I truly believe in that virtue of wanting to help give back for all the fruits my family and I have been able to have all these years․ It makes you a whole person․"
• During his career as a studio executive he was involved in hundreds of films, including "Mrs․ Doubtfire," "Black Hawk Down," and "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace․"
• Best known as the former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as the film czar of Los Angeles
• Was nominated as president of the Academy in 2009 and was responsible for bringing the organization more financial security and for finalizing plans for an Academy Museum in Los Angeles