Laurie MacDonald

Biography

Laurie MacDonald is an American film producer, born on December 19, 1953, whose career has centred on large-scale studio features from the 1990s onward. She is married to producer Walter F. Parkes, and the two have worked together for much of their professional lives.

MacDonald and Parkes helped build the original DreamWorks SKG, where Parkes ran the motion picture division. After leaving the studio they founded their own company, Parkes + MacDonald. Through it they took on franchise work such as Men in Black and horror projects like The Ring, alongside comedies and more personal dramas. Her credits include major productions such as Gladiator and Flight, a range that reflects a producer's role across many genres rather than a single signature style.

She has also worked in television as an executive producer, on series including Men in Black: The Series and Crossbones. Her work is less visible than that of directors or actors, but it is central to how many large commercial American films get financed and organised. She remains active, with the sequel Gladiator II among her recent releases.

Key films

• Men in Black (1997): producer on the first installment of the sci-fi series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
• Catch Me If You Can (2002): executive producer on the Steven Spielberg thriller about a con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
• The Ring (2002): producer on the American remake of the Japanese horror film, which was a major international hit.
• The Terminal (2004): producer on the Spielberg dramedy starring Tom Hanks.
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): producer on Tim Burton's musical adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim stage work.