Producer Linda Obst dies at the age of 74, was famous for raising voice for women in Hollywood

A1 Digital India News: Lynda Obst, the journalist-turned-producer who praised women in Hollywood while working on hits such as “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Contact” and “Interstellar,” died at her home in Los Angeles on Oct. 22. She was 74.

Her brother, Rick Rosen, reported the cause of death as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ms. Obst revealed her diagnosis in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May, and attributed her pain to five decades of smoking. “I used to smoke happily and I was one of the most devoted smokers,” she recalled. Smoking outside trailers with movie stars such as Kate Hudson is one of the coolest things a producer can do.

For years, Ms. Obst was one of the most successful and influential producers in the business, known for deftly managing the talent around her while often making modestly budgeted but highly successful films. Ms. Obst, who describes herself as a “psychopathic optimist,” has made about 20 feature films — as well as a few television series — emerging as a rare female producer in an industry long dominated by men.

“You have to develop a thick skin,” she told The New York Times in 1996. “You have to be able to handle drama without losing any personality. Every day has crises, drama and disappointments. You’ll have a hard time surviving without falling apart.”

Small but energetic, Ms. Obst, with a gravelly voice and a sarcastic sensibility, worked as an editor at The New York Times Magazine before coming to Hollywood in the late 1970s, scouting potential projects as a “development girl” under the producer Peter Guber.

Her first major release brought her her first Hollywood credit as an associate producer on “Flashdance” (1983), which starred Jennifer Beals as an aspiring dancer and became one of the year’s biggest hits.

A decade later, Ms. Obst’s career took off when she reconnected with Nora Ephron, a friend from the New York journalism world, the writer and filmmaker. Ms. Obst produced Ephron’s directorial debut, “This Is My Life” (1992), and was an executive producer of Ephron’s romantic comedy “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), which grossed more than $227 million worldwide.

Ms. Obst has had continued success in romantic comedies, including producing “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003), starring Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. She also made thrillers such as “The Siege” (1998), dramas including “Hope Floats” (1998) and helped shape the modern sci-fi genre. As an executive producer of “Contact” (1997), she successfully campaigned to cast Jodie Foster as an astronomer, one of the lead roles in the film. She later became a producer of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” (2014), which became her biggest commercial success, grossing more than $681 million on its initial release.

“It’s not an outlet to work on a sci-fi movie,” she told the Salon website in 2013. “I’m just a fool who loves romantic comedies.”

Ms. Obst pursued a career in Hollywood in the 1980s and returned to her journalistic roots, writing scathing articles for magazines including Harper’s and Premiere. She wrote two books inspired by her time in show business, starting with "Hello, She Lied: And Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches" (1996), which Publishers Weekly described as "an odd Hollywood hybrid, a memoir/tell-tale." The Guide to Survival explains how to make a movie that's still able to say something good -- or at least charitably neutral -- about all the people in power.

While praising former bosses such as producer David Geffen, she also mentioned instances of gender discrimination or rude behavior, such as the time Geffen casually suggested she get a collagen shot.

Much of the book, adapted from an hour-long AMC television special, introduces readers to the basics of production, including the benefits of befriending non-glamorous crew members. "You got it all," she wrote. "When the production designer says the set will be ready in a week, and the carpenter tells you he hasn't even got the wood yet, you know somebody is lying."

As Ms. Obst explains, success in Hollywood comes in part from following trends and giving the audience what they want. (He titles one chapter "Ride the horse in the direction it's going.") But he also advises aspiring producers not to be complacent. "Every powerful person knows the secret that no one gives you power," he writes. When it comes to power, he says, "you don't have to grant permission. You have to seize permission." Linda Joan Rosen, the eldest of three children, was born May 14, 1950, in Manhattan and grew up in New York.