Biographie
Tamara Asseyev enjoys the enviable position of being able to produce motion pictures that are equally successful at the box office and with the critics. NORMA RAE was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and won two Oscars including Sally Field for Best Actress, won the Best Actress Award at Cannes, and the Christopher Award for Best Film, Screenplay and Best Director. Besides NORMA RAE, Ms. Asseyev produced SWEETKILL, Curtis Hanson's first film; DRIVE-IN, which was independently financed and one of Columbia's most profitable films of 1976; I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Robert Zemeckis' first film for Universal with Steven Spielberg; and BIG WEDNESDAY, directed by John Milius starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Bill Katt for Warner. In addition, Ms. Asseyev was instrumental in the development of SILKWOOD, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep; NOTHING IN COMMON starring Tom Hanks and Jack Jackie Gleason; and the Miramax film, A MONTH BY THE LAKE, starring Uma Thurman, Vanessa Redgrave and Edward Fox. Since its formation, Tamara Asseyev Productions has been an active supplier of quality television. Ms. Asseyev produced the critically acclaimed THE PENALTY PHASE, directed by Tony Richardson starring Peter Strauss and Melissa Gilbert for CBS. Asseyev's AFTER THE PROMISE for CBS, starring Mark Harmon and Diana Scarwid, and directed by David Greene, achieved Golden Globe nominations for Best Movie made for Television, and for Mark Harmon, as Best Actor. Winning the night, it was also the highest rated CBS Movie in 1986. Ms. Asseyev also produced for her company the four-hour mini series BERYL MARKHAM: A SHADOW ON THE SUN on location in Africa and England for CBS and London Weekend Television, starring Stefanie Powers, Claire Bloom, Jack Thompson, and Frederic Forrest, also directed by Academy Award winning director Tony Richardson. Ms. Asseyev was Executive Producer for THE SECRET LIFE OF KATHY McCORMICK, starring Barbara Eden for NBC which took the evening, THE HIJACKING OF THE ACHILLE LAURO, nominated for three Emmy-Awards for NBC in association with the ABC in Australia, starring Karl Malden and Lee Grant, and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT for CBS, London Weekend Television, and Warner Home Video, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, starring Brigitte Nielsen, Julian Sands, Brian Cox and Gerald McRaney. In 1991, Ms. Asseyev debuted as an author with the bestselling "ALWAYS KISS WITH YOUR WHISKERS: Love Advice From My Cat" co-authored by Liz Nickles with illustrations by Bonnie Timmons published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon and Schuster. The book, currently in its third printing, sold over 95,000 copies. The sequel for Hyperion Press called "HEAVY PETTING, MORE ROMANTIC ADVICE FROM MY CAT" was published in 1993. FIRST CAT..SECOND TERM was published by Capra Press in 1997. Tamara Asseyev has a B.A. from Marymount College and an M.A. from UCLA in Theater Arts. She entered the film industry as an assistant to Roger Corman, from whom she worked on TARGETS, directed by Peter Bogdonovich; THE SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, starring Jason Robards and George Segal; THE DEVIL'S ANGELS, starring John Cassavettes, THE TRIP, written by Jack Nicholson and starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper; and THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, starring Vincent Price. In 1967, she associate produced THE WILD RACERS for Corman and AIP in Europe starring Fabian. In 1968, she independently produced PADDY with Abbey Theater and Milo O'Shea on location in Ireland, distributed by Allied Artists. Ms. Asseyev became the youngest member of the Producers Guild of America, also serving on its board of directors. Before the entertainment industry, Ms. Asseyev was a buyer for Bullocks establishing the TREND SHOP in Bullocks Pasadena store as well as the West Coast scout for E.P. Dutton Publishing. She had an earlier career as a child model in fashion and early television. In addition to her film work, Ms. Asseyev is a founding member of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, a member of the Blue Ribbon for the Los Angeles Music Center, a recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from Loyola Marymount University, Academy and on the board of NORD, the National Organization of Rare Disorders, 2002.
