Gale Anne Hurd

Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film producer and screenwriter. Hurd was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lolita (née Espiau) and Frank E. Hurd, an investor.[1] Her father was Jewish and her mother was Roman Catholic.[2] She grew up in Palm Springs, California and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Economics and Communications, in 1977.

She joined New World Pictures as executive assistant to Roger Corman, the company president. She worked her way up through various administrative positions and eventually became involved in production. She formed her own production company, Pacific Western Productions, in 1982 and went on to produce a number of box-office hits including The Terminator (1984),[3] Aliens (1986) and The Abyss (1989).[4] She later married Brian De Palma. In 1998, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.[5] She produced the 2010 AMC drama series The Walking Dead.[6]

In 2003, she was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology at Telluride, Colorado along with Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

Hurd was married to James Cameron from 1985 to 1989. She has one daughter from her marriage to director Brian De Palma. She is an avid supporter of Arsenal FC. Gale's daughter, Lolita de Palma, was born 1991.