Hannah Weinstein

Born to a Jewish family in New York City, after graduating with a degree in journalism from New York University, Weinstein worked for the New York Herald Tribune from 1927. In 1937, she left the newspaper to join Fiorello H. La Guardia's mayoral campaign in New York City. She was also involved in the presidential campaigns of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Wallace. With Ring Lardner Jr., she wrote speeches for Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles during this period.

In 1971, Weinstein founded the Third World Cinema Corporation with Ossie Davis, James Earl Jones and Rita Moreno to produce films with members of minority communities. She produced the Oscar nominated film Claudine (1974), featuring a cast including Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones, in a story about an African American family struggling through hard times and racism. She later produced Greased Lightning (1977) and Stir Crazy (1980), both of which star comedian Richard Pryor.

In 1982, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work over their lifetime, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1984, she was named for the Liberty Hill Foundation Upton Sinclair Award in honor of her artistic and political accomplishments.

In 1938, she married Pete Weinstein, a reporter for The Brooklyn Eagle; the couple divorced in 1955. They had three daughters, Dina, Paula (married to Mark Rosenberg), and Lisa.

Weinstein died at age 72 following a heart attack at her home on Park Avenue, New York City on March 9, 1984; services were held at Riverside Memorial Chapel.