Born:
September 13, 1948 in California, USA
Died:
March 17, 1999 (age 50) in Malibu, California, USA
Johanna Persons-Schultz, co-exec producer of NBC drama series "The Pretender" and a longtime production executive, died March 17 of cancer at her Malibu home. She was 50.
Persons-Schultz had served as co-executive producer of "The Pretender" since 1996 following a two-year stint as VP of production for NBC Studios.
A member of the Directors Guild of America since the early 1970s, she began as a production manager making public service announcements. A few years later, she and her husband, Bruce Schultz, unveiled Primetime Video, producing musicvideos and TV specials. In 1980, she became a producer of electronic press kits for feature films including "E.T." and "Conan the Barbarian."
She began freelancing in 1984, first as an assistant director, then as a production manager working on TV series, pilots and films. Her first onscreen credit was in 1990 for "After the Shock," a made-for-USA Network film. She subsequently produced several more TV movies including "Murderous Vision," "Deadly Game" and "The Heroes of Desert Storm."
During 1993-94, she produced (along with executive producers Gary Sherman and Stephen J. Cannell) the pilot and then the ABC series "Missing Persons." She then produced the Fox series "Medicine Ball" until joining NBC later that year.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by two sons, a grandson, her parents, a brother and two sisters.
