Daughter of the late independent filmmaker Paul Leder, Mimi Leder was the first woman accepted to study cinematography at the American Film Institute. She began her career as a script supervisor, serving a six-year stint in that capacity for NBC's "Hill Street Blues", and performed the same duty for several TV-movies. The short film "Short Order Dreams", which she produced and directed, impressed the producers of NBC's "L.A. Law", and she made her TV directing debut with a 1986 episode of that hit series. Subsequently, Leder helmed episodes of "Crime Story" (NBC), "The Bronx Zoo" (NBC), "A Year in the Life" (NBC) and "Just in Time" (ABC), not to mention additional segments of "L.A. Law" and a half dozen TV-movies. She then served as supervising producer for "China Beach" (ABC, 1988-91), for which she also directed episodes.Leder's big break came when she worked on Amblin Television's highly successful drama "ER" (NBC), inaugurating her relationship with Steven Spielberg. She won two Emmys (one for directing, the other as co-executive producer) before Spielberg tapped her to make her feature debut, helming DreamWorks' first live-action feature "The Peacemaker" (1997), starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. Entrusted with the $50 million project, Leder brought the thriller in under budget thanks to her TV training.
Leder directed another big-budget film for DreamWorks, "Deep Impact" (1998), about an asteroid on a collision course with the earth, handed to her by a Spielberg who had originally intended to direct it himself. She followed with the very personal "Sentimental Journey" (lensing 1999), scripted by her brother Reuben based on a story written by her father before his death. The film tells the story of how Paul Leder, a soldier in Patton's army, met his wife Etyl, a survivor of Auschwitz.
Profession(s):
producer, director, script supervisor
Sometimes Credited As:
Mimi I Leder
Family
brother:Reuben Leder (older; born c. 1950)
daughter:Hannah Werntz (born c. 1986)
father:Paul Leder (born c. 1923 in Springfield, Massachusetts; died April 8, 1996 in L.A.)
husband:Gary Werntz (married on February 6, 1986)
mother:Etyl Leder (a prisoner at Auschwitz when she met her husband, a member of Patton's liberating forces)
sister:Geraldine Leder (younger; born c. 1962)
Women in Film Dorothy Arzner Directors Award 2000
American Film Institute Franklin J Schaffner Alumni Medal 1999
Emmy Outstanding Drama Series "ER" 1995 - 1996
Emmy Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series "ER" 1994 - 1995
2001 Was one of the executive producers of "The Beast"
2000 Directed Oscar-winners Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt in "Pay It Forward"
1998 Helmed second feature, "Deep Impact"
1997 Feature film debut, "The Peacekeeper"
1988 Directed NBC movie "Nigtingales", a pilot for the short-lived 1989 series of the same name
1986 TV directorial debut with an episode of "L.A. Law"
1982 Produced father's film "I'm Gonna Be Famous"
1981 - 1987 Worked a six-year stint as script supervisor on "Hill Street Blues"
1980 Served as script supervisor on Jerrold Freedman's feature "Borderline"
1979 Received credit as script supervisor on CBS docudrama "Dummy"
Produced and directed a short film "Short Order Dreams", which impressed the producers of "L.A. Law"
Directed episodes of "Crime Story", "Bronx Zoo", "Just in Time", "A Year in the Life" and additional "L.A. Law" segments
Served as supervising producer for "China Beach"; also directed episodes of the series; won first Emmy nomination
Co-executive produced NBC's drama series "ER"; also directed episodes of the show
