Kathleen Kennedy (born June 5, 1953) is an
American film producer. In 1981, she co-founded
Amblin Entertainment with her future husband
Frank Marshall and
Steven Spielberg. She produced the 1982 film
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the
Jurassic Park trilogy, the first two of which became two of the top ten highest-grossing films of the 1990s. In terms of domestic box office receipts Kennedy is second only to
Steven Spielberg, with over $5.2 billion as of October 2012.
On October 30, 2012, she became the president of
Lucasfilm and the brand manager of the
Star Wars and
Indiana Jones franchises after
The Walt Disney Company acquired the company for over $4 billion. It was then announced that the first project under her authority will be
Star Wars Episode VII which is scheduled to release sometime in 2015.
Overall, Kennedy's work has included over 60 films, 120 Academy Award nominations, and over $11 billion worldwide including three of the highest grossing films in motion picture history. One of her most recent projects,
Lincoln, also produced by Spielberg, was nominated for seven Golden Globes and twelve Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis.