During almost 30 years in the motion picture business, Sherry Lansing was involved in the production, marketing and distribution of more than 200 films, including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), and the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic (1997). Throughout her film career, Sherry earned a reputation as a trailblazer, a visionary leader and a creative filmmaker. In 1984, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed President of 20th Century Fox. Later, as an independent producer, Sherry was responsible for such successful films as Fatal Attraction, School Ties, Indecent Proposal, Black Rain and The Accused. Returning to the executive ranks in 1992, Sherry was named Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures and began an unprecedented tenure that lasted more than 12 years (1992 - 2005), during which the studio enjoyed enormous creative and financial success.

The Sherry Lansing Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cancer research and public education, was formed in 2005. Among the foundation’s initiatives is PrimeTime LAUSD, a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, designed to engage retirees in improving the state of public education through targeted volunteerism.

Sherry sits on the boards of The Carter Center, Civic Ventures, Teach for America, and The American Association for Cancer Research. Additionally, she is vice chair of the University of California Board of Regents and serves as chair of the Committee on Health Services. Sherry also serves on Governor Schwarzenegger's Committee on Education Excellence, as well as the California State Superintendent of Education's P-16 Advisory Council.

In December 2004, Sherry was appointed to the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. CIRM was established by California's groundbreaking ballot measure, Proposition 71, which provides $3 billion in funding for embryonic stem cell research. Sherry serves as the cancer patient advocate, as well as the chair of the Governance Committee and co-chair of the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group.

Sherry additionally serves on the board of the Lasker Foundation and on the Executive Committee of the board of Friends of Cancer Research. She also lends her energy and talents to the American Red Cross Board of Governors and to Stop Cancer, a nonprofit organization she founded in partnership with the late Dr. Armand Hammer. In addition, she is a co-founder of the Stand Up To Cancer initiative, which funds collaborative, multi-institutional cancer research “dream teams,” and is a co-founder of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles Future Fund.

Sherry graduated cum laude with a B.S. Degree from Northwestern University in 1966.