Veteran Hollywood exec Bob Daly is stepping down as the American Film Institute’s chairman of the board after 17 years in the position.
His retirement, effective Oct. 21, caps off a career at AFI that began when he joined the board in 1981, with his election as chair coming in 2009.
“In a career that brought me from running CBS to Warner Bros. to the Los Angeles Dodgers, I can honestly say that serving as Chairman of the AFI Board of Directors has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Daly said in a Wednesday statement. “This is a board that represents all aspects of the film and television communities, and to see they come together with a shared passion for the art form has been a wonder to behold. Long live the AFI!”
“Leadership is an art in itself – and in that regard, Mr. Daly is a master,” AFI President & CEO Bob Gazzale added. “Over the past forty years, no single person has had a greater impact on AFI’s work in preservation, celebration and education
than Bob Daly – and we have promised to march forward each day with a
promise to prove him proud.”
Daly began his career with 25 years at CBS, bringing the network back to the top spot in the ratings during his tenure as president. He then joined Warner Bros. as Chairman and Co-CEO for nearly 20 years. He and his Co-CEO, Terry Semel, were credited with 16 consecutive years of record earnings, further releasing 13 Best Picture Oscar nominees and three winners: “Chariots of Fire,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Unforgiven.”
After WB, he served as the Chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers for four years during the team’s ownership by News Corp. Daly also served for many years as Chairman of Save The Children and as a board member of the UCLA School of Film, Theater and Television and the USC Annenberg School for Communication.
Founded by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, the American Film Institute was established to “preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.”
Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy currently serves as chair of AFI’s Board of Trustees, whose members also include Pam Abdy, Sean Astin, Alan Bergman, Halle Berry, Jim Breyer, James L. Brooks, Ava DuVernay, Jamie Erlicht, Mike Hopkins, Alan Horn, Patty Jenkins, Michael B. Jordan, Donna Langley, Eva Longoria, Bryan Lourd, Christopher Nolan, Edward James Olmos, Shonda Rhimes, Charles Rivkin, Jay Roach, Ted Sarandos, Chris Silbermann, Octavia Spencer, Steven Spielberg, Todd Wagner and Edward Zwick.
