LEWIS CHEROT

Publish date: 2024-06-20

Lewis Cherot, 20th Century Fox’s 26-year-old director of development and one of the industry’s rising stars, died in an accident Oct. 10 in Los Angeles while riding in a car driven by Fox executive VP Dylan Sellers.

Sellers, who was not seriously injured, is under investigation for driving under the influence. The 36-year-old Fox executive could face vehicular manslaughter charges.

In his two years at Fox, Cherot worked on “Strange Days,” “Broken Arrow,” and the upcoming Kelsey Grammer comedy “Down Periscope.” At the time of his death, he was prepping for production the Keanu Reeves film “Dead Drop.”

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Peter Chernin, chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said “Lewis was one of the brightest and most well-liked creative executives in the business and we are deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”

Cherot, who grew up in the Boston suburb of Dedham, Mass., considered working at a studio the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

As a child, he made a parody of a James Bond film called “Dead or Alive.” As an undergraduate at Harvard U., he was involved with the Hasty Pudding Club, acting as technical director for the show “Whisky Business” as well as being the tech director for a student production of Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off’ at the Loeb Theater.

After graduation, Cherot pursued a career in show business, landing a job in the mail room of the InterTalent agency.

He later worked as a development executive at Dennis Quaid’s production company and at director Rupert Wainwright’s office before moving to Fox.

Cherot is survived by his parents, Kathleen Hutchins and Bevin Cherot, a sister and two brothers.

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