Shero Hall of Fame

Suzanne de Passe

Chairman and CEO of de Passe Entertainment, Suzanne de Passe began her career at Motown Records as Creative Assistant to Berry Gordy, subsequently rising to the position of President of Motown Productions. She was a partner in Gordy/de Passe Productions prior to establishing de Passe Entertainment in 1992. The recipient of an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the screenplay “LADY SINGS THE BLUES”, Ms. de Passe won two Emmy Awards and NAACP Image Awards as Executive Producer of “MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY TODAY, FOREVER” and “MOTOWN RETURNS TO THE APOLLO.” She also served as Executive Producer for the highly acclaimed and award winning mini-series “LONESOME DOVE,” “SMALL SACRIFICES,” “THE JACKSONS: AN AMERICAN DREAM” and “BUFFALO GIRLS.”

Ms de Passe has received numerous honors, including the AWRT (American Women in Radio and Television) Silver Satellite Award (1999), Women in Film Crystal Award (1988), Revlon Business Woman of the Year Award (1994), Essence Business Award (1989) and was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1990. She is the subject of two Harvard Business School case studies: Suzanne de Passe and Motown Productions and de Passe Entertainment.

Ms de Passe served as Executive Producer on the half hour shows, “SISTER, SISTER” and “SMART GUY,” both of which aired on the WB Network, and which were produced in association with Paramount and Disney Television, respectively.

Additionally, Ms de Passe served as Executive Producer on the 4-hour documentary “MOTOWN 40: THE MUSIC IS FOREVER” which aired on ABC. She was Executive Producer of “THE TEMPTATIONS,” the four-hour Emmy Award winning miniseries, for NBC; Executive Producer of “ZENON, GIRL OF THE 21ST CENTURY” which aired on the Disney Channel; Executive Producer of “THE LORETTA CLAIBORNE STORY” for Disney/ABC Sunday Night; Executive Producer of “CHEATERS” which aired on HBO in May 2000 as well as “ZENON: THE ZEQUEL” which aired in January 2001 on the Disney Channel. Most recently, Ms de Passe served as Executive Producer of the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards, which aired March 2001 on the Fox Network.

Suzanne de Passe credits include:

MINI-SERIES

THE TEMPTATIONS, NBC/1998 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Miniseries. Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Director. Nominated for six Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Mini-Series), Golden Globes, Producers Guild Award, Directors Guild Award and Prism Award. Starring: Leon, Charles Malik Whitfield, DB Woodside, Terron Brooks and Christian Payton.

DEAD MAN’S WALK, ABC/1996 Starring: Edward James Olmos, Keith Carradine, Brian Dennehy and F. Murray Abraham

BUFFALO GIRLS, CBS/1995 Nominated for eleven Emmy Awards, including Best Miniseries and Best Actress. Starring Angelica Huston, Melanie Griffith, Reba McEntyre, Sam Elliott and Jack Palance

STREETS OF LAREDO, CBS/1995 Starring: James Garner, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard and Sonia Braga

RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE, CBS/1993 Starring: Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey, Rick Schroder and Louis Gossett, Jr.

THE JACKSONS: An American Dream, ABC/1992 Nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, including Best Miniseries Starring: Angela Bassett, Billy Dee Williams and Vanessa Williams

LONESOME DOVE, CBS/1989 Emmy, Golden Globe, Peabody Award-winning miniseries. Named “Outstanding Program of the Year” by Television Critics Assn., Best Miniseries in TV Guide Annual Readers Choice Awards, D.W. Griffith Award by National Board of Review, Cowboy Hall of Fame. Based on Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Starring: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and Anjelica Huston

SMALL SACRIFICES, ABC/1989 Nominated for three Emmy Awards, including best miniseries and two Golden Globe Awards. Winner of the Peabody Award for best miniseries. Based on Ann Rule’s best-selling book. Starring: Farrah Fawcett, Ryan O’Neal and John Shea

MOVIES FOR TELEVISION

NETWORK

THE LORETTA CLAIBORNE STORY - 2000, Disney/ABC Sunday Night

SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD - 1998, ABC

BRIDESMAIDS - 1989, CBS

THE LAST ELECTRIC KNIGHT - (a.k.a. SIDE KICKS) - 1989, ABC

HAPPY ENDINGS - 1983, CBS/King Entertainment Starring: Catherine Hicks

CALLIE & SON

CABLE

ZENON: THE ZEQUEL - 2001, The Disney Channel Highest-rated Disney Channel original movie ever! (Premiered January 2001 with 3.3 rating/6 share).

CHEATERS - 2000, HBO Films

ZENON, GIRL OF THE 21ST CENTURY - 1999, The Disney Channel

SPECIALS

MOTOWN 40: THE MUSIC IS FOREVER, 4-hour documentary special, 1998, ABC

MOTOWN 30: WHAT’S GOIN’ ON, 1990, CBS Emmy Award Nominee

MOTOWN MERRI X-MAS, 1987, ABC

MOTOWN RETURNS TO THE APOLLO, 1985, NBC Emmy Award winner for best variety Program. NAACP Image Award winner.

SPECIALS (CONTINUED)

MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER, 1983, NBC Emmy Award winner for best variety program. Winner of NAACP Image and Peabody Awards.

MOTOWN ON SHOWTIME:

-- Smokey Robinson - 1990, Showtime

-- Comedy on Campus - 1990, Showtime

-- M. Jackson (The Legend Continues) - Showtime

-- Marvin Gaye - 1987, Showtime

-- Temptations and Four Tops - 1986, Showtime

SERIES

Sister, Sister, 1995-1999, ½ hour sitcom - 199 episodes completed, WB (Initially aired on ABC 1993-1995) Starring: Tia and Tamera Mowry, Tim Reid and Jackee Harry

Smart Guy, 1996-1999, ½ hour sitcom - 51 episodes completed, WB Starring: Tahj Mowry, John Marshall Jones, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding and Essence Atkins.

On Our Own, 1994-1995, ½ hour sitcom - 19 episodes completed, ABC, Starring: The Smollets

Motown Revue, 1986-1986, (6) one hour episodes, NBC Starring: Smokey Robinson

FIRST RUN SYNDICATION Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years, 1994-1996, one hour western drama, 44 episodes completed. Starring: Eric McCormack, Scott Bairstow and Paul Le Mat

Rollergames - 1989, (12) one hour episodes

Night Life - 1986-1987, (195) ½ hour episodes Starring: David Brenner

AWARD PROGRAMS

32nd NAACP IMAGE AWARDS 2001, FOX