Ronni Chasen facts for kids

Ronni Sue Chasen (born October 17, 1946 – died November 16, 2010) was an American publicist. A publicist helps famous people and companies share their news with the public. Ronni worked with many well-known actors like Michael Douglas and musicians such as Hans Zimmer.

During her career, Ronni Chasen helped more than 100 films get attention for the Academy Awards. These films included Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and The Hurt Locker (2009).

Ronni Chasen died on November 16, 2010, while driving home. Police later concluded that her death was connected to an attempted robbery.

Early Life and Career

Ronni Chasen was born Veronica Cohen in Kingston, New York, in 1946. She grew up in New York City, in the Riverdale and Washington Heights areas. When she was a child, she even won several yo-yo contests!

Ronni started her career helping her brother, film director Larry Cohen. He hired her to promote his 1973 film, Hell Up in Harlem. This was one of her first jobs in the movie business.

Becoming a Hollywood Publicist

Ronni Chasen became very well known in Hollywood for her public relations (PR) work. She helped promote movies like On Golden Pond. She also worked on Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, a movie starring Michael Douglas. She helped Michael Douglas get attention for his role in that film.

Ronni also successfully managed the Oscar campaign for the 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy. This film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture the next year.

In 1993, Ronni became the Senior Vice President for Publicity at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a big movie studio. She also had her own PR company called Chasen & Co. Her company often worked with artists who created music for films. These included composers like Trevor Horn, Mark Isham, Hans Zimmer, and Thomas Newman.

Laura Dunn, from the Society of Composers and Lyricists, said that Ronni Chasen taught many people how to be a top publicist in the film music world.

Working with Stars

According to film critic Patrick Goldstein, Ronni often shared stories about her early days. She worked with the famous actor George Burns on the 1970s film The Sunshine Boys. She also helped a young John Travolta learn how to handle interviews when he first became famous from the TV show Welcome Back Kotter.

At the time of her death, Ronni Chasen was working with Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Zanuck. She was helping with the Oscar campaign for the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland. After she passed away, Patrick Goldstein called her "Hollywood's ultimate old-school publicist."

Death and Investigation

Ronni Chasen died in Beverly Hills on November 16, 2010. This happened around 12:28 a.m. PST, as she was driving home from the Hollywood premiere of the film Burlesque.

She was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. Ronni was the sister of film director Larry Cohen, who passed away in 2019.

Police Investigation

Police investigated Ronni Chasen's death. The final police report stated that her killing was connected to an attempted robbery.