Lillian Gallo
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
Lillian Gallo | |
---|---|
Born | Lillian Drazek April 12, 1928 |
Died | June 6, 2012 | (aged 84)
Occupation | Television producer |
Years active | 1972-1998 |
Spouse | Lew Gallo (1958-2000) (his death) (2 children) |
Lillian Drazek Gallo (April 12, 1928 – June 6, 2012) was an American television producer. In the 1970s, Gallo formed one of the first female producing collaborations in Hollywood when she teamed with screenwriter Fay Kanin.[1][2]
Life and career
Gallo was born Lillian Drazek in Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1928, to parents who immigrated from Poland.[2] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Michigan in 1949.[2] Gallo served in the United States Marine Corps for four years after graduation, including work in the Pentagon and achieving the rank of captain.[2]
She moved to Los Angeles during the 1950s, where she worked on
Gallo rose to become the director of movies of the weekend, known as ABC Movie of the Week, for the ABC television network.[1] She oversaw the production of more than twenty-four television films aired on ABC, including Duel in 1971, which marked Steven Spielberg's debut as a feature film directing debut.[1]
In 1974, Gallo produced the television film,
Gallo teamed with screenwriter, Fay Kanin, in 1978, becoming one of the industry's first all-female production partnerships.[1] Together, Gallo and Kanin produced only one film, Fun and Games in 1980, which starred Valerie Harper.[1] Despite having only one single production credit, Gallo's and Kanin's partnership proved significant in an industry long dominated by men. Author Mollie Gregory, who has written on the history of female producers, told the Los Angeles Times, "Though they enjoyed working together, they were really bucking the times...Lillian told me that people found it shocking to be on the set with two women producers."[1]
She continued to produce television movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including
Gallo's husband of 42 years, producer and actor
References
External links
- Lillian Gallo at IMDb
- Lillian Gallo at Find a Grave