Kathleen Kennedy

Kathleen Kennedy commenced her journey in the film industry by co-founding the production company Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall in 1981. She served as the president of Lucasfilm from 2012 to 2026, a tenure during which she produced films that have earned over $11 billion worldwide, including five of the fifty highest-grossing movies in film history. In her pivotal role at Lucasfilm, Kennedy oversaw the development, production, and release of the Star Wars sequel trilogy ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens" 2015, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" 2017, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" 2019) and standalone Star Wars films "Rogue One" (2016) and "Solo" (2018), as well as the fifth Indiana Jones film, "The Dial of Destiny" (2023).

Her accomplishments extend beyond the Star Wars universe, with Kennedy having co-produced the Jurassic Park franchise, and serving as an executive producer for the historical drama "Schindler's List" (1993), which was nominated for twelve Academy Awards. In addition, she produced "Lincoln" (2012), a film that received twelve Academy Award nominations and was nominated for seven Golden Globes. Her contributions to the film industry were recognized in 2019, when she was appointed an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to film production in the United Kingdom and was also announced as a recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship in 2020.

Kennedy has also made significant contributions to television, having produced various Star Wars series for Disney+, including "The Mandalorian" (2019–present), "The Book of Boba Fett" (2021), "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (2022), "Andor" (2022–2025), "Ahsoka" (2023–present), and "The Acolyte" (2024). Her work has earned her a nomination for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Teen Series for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew". In 2007, she was the first recipient of Women in Film's Paltrow Mentorship Award and in 2018, she received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award alongside Frank Marshall. This rich and varied career in film production has shaped Kennedy into a dynamic and impactful voice in the industry.