Wendy Finerman

Producer

About

Also Known As

Wendy Joan Finerman

Birth Place

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Biography

Determined producer who recognized the potential of a novel by Winston Groom entitled "Forrest Gump" and nurtured the project for nine years until it was made into a boxoffice bonanza that went on to win six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.After completing business studies at the prestigious Wharton School in her native Philadelphia, Finerman worked for The Mo...

Filmography

Love by the 10th Date (2017)

Executive Producer

Drumline: A New Beat (2014)

Executive Producer

One for the Money (2012)

Producer

P.S. I Love You (2007)

Producer

Surrender Dorothy (2006)

Executive Producer

Drumline (2002)

Producer

Family & Companions

Mark Canton

Husband

Chairman of Columbia Tri-Star Motion Picture Companies. Married c. 1985; Finerman filed for divorce in late summer 1997.

David Peterson

Husband

Financier. Married in 2000; his second marriage; has two children by first marriage.

Biography

After completing business studies at the prestigious Wharton School in her native Philadelphia, Finerman worked for The Movie Channel in New York and later went west to become a business affairs executive for Universal Television. She joined Steve Tisch Productions as vice president of production and development in 1985. It was there that she came across the galleys for Winston Groom's novel "Forrest Gump" and, recognizing its cinematic potential, convinced Tisch to option the screen rights. After many years of promoting the project and three script revisions, she gave a draft to Tom Hanks, fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in "Philadelphia" (1993), who quickly agreed to star. Sherry Lansing at Paramount gave the project a green light and Finerman hasn't had to look back since. Besides "Gump," Finerman also executive produced "I Like It Like That" (1994) a funny, gritty "little" movie about an ambitious young Latino mother and wife living in the South Bronx.