Tamara Asseyev is a renowned film and television producer who has enjoyed significant success in her career. Her film, NORMA RAE, was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two Oscars, including Sally Field's Best Actress award. The film also won the Best Actress Award at Cannes and the Christopher Award for Best Film, Screenplay, and Best Director.
Ms. Asseyev has produced a wide range of films, including SWEETKILL, Curtis Hanson's first film; DRIVE-IN, which was independently financed and one of Columbia's most profitable films of 1976; I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND, Robert Zemeckis' first film for Universal, in collaboration with Steven Spielberg; and BIG WEDNESDAY, directed by John Milius, starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Bill Katt, for Warner.
In addition to her film work, Ms. Asseyev has been instrumental in the development of several notable television productions, including SILKWOOD, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep; NOTHING IN COMMON, starring Tom Hanks and Jack Jackie Gleason; and the Miramax film, A MONTH BY THE LAKE, starring Uma Thurman, Vanessa Redgrave, and Edward Fox.
Ms. Asseyev has also produced several critically acclaimed television movies, including THE PENALTY PHASE, directed by Tony Richardson, starring Peter Strauss and Melissa Gilbert, for CBS; AFTER THE PROMISE, starring Mark Harmon and Diana Scarwid, and directed by David Greene, which achieved Golden Globe nominations for Best Movie made for Television, and for Mark Harmon as Best Actor. The film also won the highest-rated CBS movie in 1986.
Ms. Asseyev has been the executive producer for several notable television productions, including THE SECRET LIFE OF KATHY McCORMICK, starring Barbara Eden, for NBC; THE HIJACKING OF THE ACHILLE LAURO, nominated for three Emmy Awards for NBC, in association with the ABC in Australia, starring Karl Malden and Lee Grant; and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT, for CBS, London Weekend Television, and Warner Home Video, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, starring Brigitte Nielsen, Julian Sands, Brian Cox, and Gerald McRaney.
Ms. Asseyev has also written several bestselling books, including "ALWAYS KISS WITH YOUR WHISKERS: Love Advice From My Cat" and its sequel, "HEAVY PETTING, MORE ROMANTIC ADVICE FROM MY CAT." Her latest book, "FIRST CAT...SECOND TERM," was published by Capra Press in 1997.
Ms. Asseyev has a B.A. from Marymount College and an M.A. from UCLA in Theater Arts. She entered the film industry as an assistant to Roger Corman and worked on several notable films, including TARGETS, directed by Peter Bogdonovich, and THE SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, starring Jason Robards and George Segal.
In addition to her film work, Ms. Asseyev has been a founding member of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, a member of the Blue Ribbon for the Los Angeles Music Center, a recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from Loyola Marymount University, and a member of the Academy.
