Women in Showbiz You Oughta Know
Women have been building the world of film and TV since day one. But they aren’t all Reese, Ava, or Sofia. A lot of them do their best work behind the scenes, and aren’t necessarily in the headlines or household names…yet!
You probably already know and love the work they do, so now it’s time to learn their names.
E.G. Daily
Elizabeth Daily, or “E.G.” as she’s often credited, is the voice of my childhood — and if you’re a millennial, likely yours too! While she’s had a long career including singing and live acting performances, most of her notoriety comes from her work as a voice actor.
Yep, Daily is the voice of such iconic animated characters as Tommy Pickles (Rugrats) and Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls), with stints as Bamm-Bamm (The Flintstones), Babe (taking over from her fellow Rugrat Christine Cavanaugh) and in beloved animated movies and shows like Happy Feet, Wreck-It Ralph, Darkwing Duck, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Recess, ChalkZone, and The Land Before Time.
Daily is an absolute legend. So the next time you hear her signature squeak, raise a glass to the talented woman behind the mic!
Ruth E. Carter
Tell me if these movies ring a bell: Do The Right Thing. Malcolm X. Amistad. Serenity. Shaft. Selma. Black Panther. Dolemite is My Name.
These movies tell not only great stories, but have championed Black voices in cinema in a powerful way. They range from historical drama to fantasy to action and sci-fi epics, and a common thread is that all the characters have incredible costumes. And who is the brilliant costume designer behind all those awesome clothes? You guessed it. All hail Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter.
Zoë Bell
Sure, you might recognize Zoë Bell’s face from her performances in Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Deathproof, Lost, or Billy Elliot. But what you definitely know her for? She’s only the most kick-ass stunt woman in Hollywood!
She was Uma Thurman’s stunt double in the Kill Bill movies, for Cate Blanchette in Thor: Ragnarok, for Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess. She’s also done stunts for Catwoman, Death Proof, 27 Dresses, Inglourious Basterds, Iron Man 3, and served as stunt coordinator for Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood. When you’re a director who needs high flying action, Ms. Bell is the real deal.
Kimberly Kimble
When it comes to hair and makeup, nobody kicks @$$ like Kim Kimble. In addition to her work on L.A. Hair, and regularly making celebrity clientele like Halle Berry, Shakira, and Nicki Minaj look fabulous, she’s also responsible for many of the flawless looks seen in Beyoncé: Lemonade, A Wrinkle in Time, Dreamgirls, Zoe Ever After, Rock of Ages, The X Factor, and the MTV Video Music Awards.
Jenji Kohan
So much of modern television owes its existence to the vision and dedication of producer, writer, and general showbiz whiz Jenji Kohan.
Did you love Weeds or Orange is the New Black? She created them. Can’t get enough of the ladies on GLOW? Kohan’s an executive producer. Or what about some throwbacks? She produced Mad About You, Tracey Takes On… and Gilmore Girls. She’s also written episodes for OITNB, GLOW, Weeds, The Stones, Will & Grace, Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City, Mad About You, Friends, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
That creativity? It’s going strong with no signs of stopping!
Melinda Hsu Taylor
But Jenji isn’t the only TV goddess in town who doesn’t get enough name recognition. Meet Melinda Hsu Taylor, producer and writer on shows like Lost, The Vampire Diaries, Medium, Nancy Drew, The Gifted, Falling Skies, Touch, Vanished, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Brenda Chapman
And finally, I’ll round out this list with one more giant in the world of animated movies, designer, writer, director, story supervisor, storyboard artist, and general goddess Brenda Chapman.
She helped kick off the Disney Renaissance as an artist on The Little Mermaid, then followed up by tackling such roles as story for Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, story supervisor on The Lion King, and serving on the senior creative team for Pixar hits WALL-E, Up, and Brave.
Oh, did I mention she directed both Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt and Disney/Pixar’s Brave? Helming two of the greatest animated movies ever made ain’t too shabby, if you ask me.
So there you have it, seven incredible, game-changing women in TV and film who don’t get their names in enough headlines. But we can change that — join Narrative Muse to discover more talented creators and be part of the representation revolution.
