1957 - 2021
Writer

Bowman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and won an Emmy in 1989, as a member of the writing team of SNL. He co-created the comedy series Martin, starring Martin Lawrence, and also wrote for a long list of comedies including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and Men Behaving Badly. He also wrote and executive produced for The Hughleys, Murphy Brown, Frank TV, Root of All Evil, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, The Show and Princesses. In 2007, he became the chairman of the WGA workers strike, and led negotiations for writers to gain shares in streaming revenue. Bowman then taught sketch comedy writing at the School of Cinematic Arts.

He is survived by his wife Shannon Gaughan-Bowman, and his children Johnny, Courtney, Nicholas, Alec, and Jesse.

1954 - 2021
Producer

Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Martha De Laurentiis (nee Schumacher) attended Ball State University. In 1984 she became the associate producer for Stephen King’s Firestarter. She produced many shows including Hannibal and films Hannibal Rising, and Red Dragon, all adaptations of novels by Thomas Harris. In 1980, she formed the Dino De Laurentiis Company with her business partner, and future husband Dino De Laurentis. De Laurntiis then established the Dino and Martha De Laurentiis Endowed Professorship at USC which honored USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Mary Sweeny.

She is survived by her two children Dina, and Carolyna.

1937 - 2022
Producer

SCA alumnus Alan Ladd Jr. was one of the most respected executives and producers in the film industry. The son of famous actor Alan Ladd, he grew up in Hollywood and enrolled at USC Cinema in the mid-50s, and was part of its breakout generation of students that included Irvin Kershner, William Fraker, Jack Couffer, Richard Harris and James Ivory. As the head of 20th Century Fox and MGM, he had a hand in dozens of groundbreaking films including Young Frankenstein, Julia, Aliens, Moonstruck and Thelma and Louise; and with his own production company, The Ladd Co., produced films that included Chariots of Fire, Once Upon A Time in America, The Right Stuff, Blade Runner and Gone Baby Gone. Ladd won an Oscar as a producer of Best Picture winner, Braveheart. He was a recipient of SCA’s Mary Pickford Alumni Award.

Ladd is survived by three children, Kelliann and Tracy Ladd, and Amanda Ladd-Jones.

1939 - 2021
Activist

Funder for the USC Global Exchange program.

Lesser attended Stanford, UCLA, and John Hopkins University where he earned his Master degree in International Relations. During his time at Stanford, he worked under the late Allard Lowenstein (civil rights activist) on the Freedom Summer Project to help register African American voters. He developed an interest in Asia after working as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in Japan and funded the USC Global Exchange Program; a partnership between the USC School of Dramatic Arts and the Communication University of China in Beijing which allowed for students to travel overseas and work with other students. He also worked as a board member for the USC Pacific Asia Museum.

He is survived by many friends and family, including his sister Belinda, and brother David.

1951 - 2022
SCA Professor

Professor Taylor joined the School of Cinematic Arts in Spring 2021, after a distinguished career as a writer and television executive. He was one of the founding executives of the UPN television network, and also held leadership roles at Sony, Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Spelling Productions and Fox, where he was Vice President of Diverse Programming and advocated for hiring diverse creative talent. He also wrote the film Brothers of the Borderland, which ran at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

At SCA, he taught the diversity workshop for graduate students, was an instructor in the Stark program, and recently joined the John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television. He joined the School’s Diversity Council, and was dedicated to helping make the SCA community as welcoming and inclusive as possible.

He is survived by his wife Jane; his sons Andrew, Grant and Tristan Taylor, and Miklos Hargitay; his siblings Carolyn Taylor-Olson and Nancy, Peter and Stephen Taylor; and his grandson Thomas Taylor.

1927 - 2021
SCA Professor Emeritus

Professor Morton (Mort) Zarcoff came to Los Angeles in the late 1960s to work on films, and soon began teaching part-time at USC. He would remain for twenty-five years, as a professor and chair of what was then called the film department. Zarcoff was a producer on the crime series It Takes A Thief (1968). His other credits include the sci-fi anthology series Tales of Tomorrow and tv series Assignment: Underwater, Switch, and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. In 1987 he wrote and directed The Hubbard Years: USC 1970-1980, a 35-minute documentary about the tenure of USC President John Randolph Hubbard.

Zarcoff is survived by his sons Larry and Edward; grandchildren, Alexander, Aliza and Roo; and his brother, Samuel. His wife, Marilyn, died in 2019.