Biography
Cass Warner (born Debora Cassie Sperling) was a third-generation American filmmaker. The daughter of Milton Sperling and Betty Warner Sperling (later Sheinbaum), her maternal grandfather, Harry M. Warner, was the original President and one of the founders of Warner Bros. studio. She began her career sitting in on story meetings with her award-winning writer/producer father, Milton Sperling, and wandering the Warner Bros. lot observing the magic of movie making.
After studying acting with the acclaimed Milton Katselas, and learning screenwriting under the mentor-ship of her father and Howard Koch of Casablanca fame, her production company, Warner Sisters, was born. She carried on the original Warner Bros. motto -- making films that "educate, entertain and enlighten". After years of research, she wrote "The Brothers Warner" book, the definitive family biography and intimate portrait of the four legendary Warner brothers, who founded Warner Bros. studio.
Warner Sisters had on its slate all of Howard Koch's unproduced screenplays, plays, short stories and novels to develop into a library, as well as individual projects. She wrote, produced and directed a documentary on Dennis Hopper called HOPPER: In His Own Words (2012). In 2008, she completed a feature documentary, The Brothers Warner (2007), that she directed, wrote, produced and narrated. The film is an intimate portrait of the family and a tribute to their legacy. The PBS American Masters series aired the 60-minute version for two years. The film won numerous awards, and she won the prestigious HBO Films Producer Award, and was on the Emmy's nomination list as a Director in 2009.
A favorite on-going project was a series of thoughtful, one-on-one conversations that capture the passion of people's journey to success like: Matthew McConaughey, Chick Corea, and many others including her actor son, Cole Hauser (who plays Rip in the Yellowstone TV series.) These interviews are forming an inspirational library for her non-profit, "The Dream Factory." Excerpts from the series have aired on The Starz cable channel.
She died in 2024, survived by husband Glenn Allan Pool; daughters Vanessa Pool Mooney and Tao Haber Gaines; sons Cole Hauser and Jesse Pool; and three grandchildren.
