Debra Martin Chase facts for kids

Debra Martin Chase (born October 11, 1956) is an American film, television, and theater producer. She is known for creating many popular movies and TV shows.

Debra Martin Chase was the first Black female producer to have a major deal with a big movie studio. She was also one of the first Black filmmakers to produce a movie that earned over $100 million. Her films have made more than half a billion dollars in total.

Early Life and Education

Debra Martin Chase was born in Great Lakes, Illinois. When she was a child, her family moved to Pasadena, California.

She went to Mount Holyoke College and earned her bachelor's degree in 1977. Later, she studied law at Harvard Law School, getting her law degree in 1981.

In an interview, Debra shared that she loved going to the movies every Saturday as a kid. She said movies helped shape how she saw the world. She wanted to help make sure Black people were shown in films and that their stories made movies even better.

When she first started, Debra didn't know much about how the movie business worked. So, she read books, went to workshops, and met with anyone who could teach her. She even became an executive assistant to Frank Price, who was in charge of Columbia Pictures.

Producing Career Highlights

Debra Martin Chase has her own company, Martin Chase Productions. This company works with Universal Television, which is part of NBCUniversal. Before this, her company worked with The Walt Disney Company for many years, from 2001 to 2016.

She also managed production companies for famous stars like Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.

Working with Whitney Houston

Debra Chase and Whitney Houston worked together on many projects. Their first big success was the 1997 TV movie Cinderella. This movie was a huge hit, with over 60 million viewers. It even earned Chase and Houston an Emmy Award nomination.

In 2001, they co-produced The Princess Diaries. This movie made history as the first film produced by Black women to earn over $100 million. They did it again in 2004 with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

They also worked together on two of the first Cheetah Girls TV movies. Their last movie together was Sparkle in 2012.

Recent Television and Film Projects

Currently, Debra Chase is an executive producer for The Equalizer TV series. This show stars Queen Latifah and is now in its fifth season.

In 2023, she produced True Spirit, a movie that came out on Netflix.

Broadway Productions

Debra Chase has also produced plays and musicals on Broadway. In 2022, she co-produced A Strange Loop, which won a Tony Award for Best Musical. She also co-produced Topdog/Underdog, which won a Tony for Best Revival of a Play.

In 2024, she co-produced two more Broadway shows. These were The Outsiders, which won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and Illinoise, which won for Best Choreography. She also co-produced Death Becomes Her.

Personal Life and Community Involvement

Debra Chase graduated with high honors from both Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Law School. Before working in entertainment, she was a lawyer at big companies in New York City and Houston.

She is a member of the Motion Picture Academy, which gives out the Oscars. She also serves on committees for the Television Academy and the Broadway League.

Debra Chase is an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Producer Credits

Debra Martin Chase has produced many films, TV shows, and theater productions.

Film

Television

Theater