Lynda Obst on AllMovie

Author of the bestseller Hello He Lied: And Other Truths From the Hollywood Trenches, powerhouse producer Lynda Obst is the woman who ensured that such runaway hits as Flashdance (1983) and Contact (1997) found their way from conception to the silver screen. A keen and incisive Hollywood insider with a knack for spotting a winning idea, Obst's unrivaled knowledge of the film industry has found her consistently on the top of her game. A Pomonoa College graduate who received her degree in philosophy, Obst worked as an editor at The New York Times Magazine before joining the team at Casablanca/Polygram productions in 1979. Her association with David Geffen lead her and producer Debra Hill to found Hill/Obst Productions, and the fledgling production company was soon rising to the top with such hits as Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Though she departed from Hill/Obst the following year in favor of starting her own production company, her work on Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and Hope Floats (1998) has found Obst's razor-sharp skill as a producer backing many box-office hits. In 2002 her book was adapted into a made-for-television feature, which Obst produced, and following work on that same year's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Obst began production on the big-screen adaptation of the best-selling novel The Hot Zone. In addition to her film work, Obst continues to write for numerous American periodicals.