Helene Hahn Loyd, Former Disney and DreamWorks Exec, Dies at 78
Helene Hahn Loyd, a former Disney executive vp and one of the original executives at DreamWorks SKG, has died. She was 78.
Loyd died peacefully in her sleep on Oct. 24 in Park City.
She was born in Westbury, New York, and graduated from Hofstra University in 1970. After college, she moved to Los Angeles and temporarily worked at Paramount Pictures while attending law school. She earned her degree from Loyola Law School in 1975.
Loyd would rejoin Paramount in 1997 and became senior vp. She would go on to work at Walt Disney Studios, being named executive vp in 1981, elevating her among the highest level of women in the film business. Working with Jeffrey Katzenberg, she was a key player in Disney’s renaissance, playing a hand in the company’s partnership with Pixar.
She was recruited as one of the first executives to build DreamWorks SKG in 1994, which was founded by Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. There, Loyd worked her way up to COO. During her career, she served as a mentor to many female executives.
Loyd left DreamWorks in 2004, moving to Park City and taking on skiing as a passion. Her husband of more than two decades, Charles “Chuck” Loyd Jr., died in July.
Donations in their memory can be made to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, honoring their love of skiing and commitment to supporting the next generation of athletes.
