Jump to content

Wallis Annenberg

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wallis Annenberg
Annenberg in 1981
Born
Wallis Huberta Annenberg

(1939-07-15)July 15, 1939
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 2025(2025-07-28) (aged 86)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materPine Manor College
OccupationPhilanthropist
Known forAnnenberg Foundation
Spouse
Seth Weingarten
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1975)​
Children4, including Lauren Bon
FatherWalter Annenberg
RelativesMoses Annenberg (grandfather)
Janet Annenberg Hooker (aunt)
Enid Haupt (aunt)
Leonore Annenberg (stepmother)

Wallis Huberta Annenberg (July 15, 1939 – July 28, 2025) was an American philanthropist and heiress. Annenberg served as president and chairwoman of the board of the Annenberg Foundation, a multibillion-dollar philanthropic organization in the United States.[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

Wallis Annenberg was born in Philadelphia on July 15, 1939,[2] into a Jewish family, the daughter of publishing magnate Walter Hubert Annenberg, and his first wife, Bernice Veronica Dunkelman, known as Ronny, a socialite from Toronto, Canada. Her grandfather Moses Annenberg (1877–1942), owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer,[3] emigrated from Germany to Chicago in 1900. Her father owned a 15-acre (61,000 m2) estate called Inwood, where Wallis was raised.[2]

When she was 10 years old, her parents divorced and her mother moved to Washington, D.C., to marry Ben Ourisman, a Chevrolet car dealer.[2] Meanwhile, her father remarried in the year after the divorce to Leonore "Lee" Cohn, the niece of Columbia Pictures President Harry Cohn.[4]

Wallis Annenberg graduated in 1959 from Pine Manor College, when it was a junior college.[5][6]

She had a brother, Roger, who committed suicide at a psychiatric institution in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 22 in 1962, while on leave from Harvard University for treatment of schizophrenia.[3][7][8] She named one of her sons after her brother.[2][9]

Marriage and divorce

[edit]

On a trip to Venice, in 1959, to celebrate completion of junior college, Annenberg met Seth Weingarten, who had just completed his undergraduate education at Princeton University and was looking forward to Yale Medical School. They quickly fell in love and, after only one year of studies at Columbia, Annenberg dropped out of school and married Weingarten at Inwood in 1960.[2] They moved around the country, following her husband's career.[2]

They had four children: Lauren, born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1961, Roger, who was named after Wallis's deceased brother, Gregory, born in New York City during Weingarten's residency at New York Hospital, and Charles, born in Roswell, New Mexico where Weingarten was serving as a medical officer at Walker Air Force Base.[2] At her insistence, Weingarten accepted a position at UCLA, at the hospital now known as Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and they established a permanent home in California.[10]

In 1975, she divorced Weingarten. In 1978, he won the custody of the children. In 1979, he offered Wallis full custody.[10] She never remarried.[11]

Career

[edit]

When Wallis started to work for Triangle Publications, which included TV Guide and Seventeen magazine, as well as radio and TV stations nationwide, her father was its chairman of the board.[12] She stayed for three years after its sale to Rupert Murdoch in 1988.[2]

She appeared on The Joan Rivers Show on the new Fox television network in 1986, alongside actresses Lucille Ball and Michele Lee.[citation needed]

Death

[edit]

Annenberg died from lung cancer at her home in Los Angeles, on July 28, 2025, at the age of 86.[13][14]

Philanthropy

[edit]

After she died in March 2009, Leonore Annenberg left the leadership of the Annenberg Foundation to Wallis and three of her children: Lauren, Gregory, and Charles.[15] Wallis Annenberg carried on her father's legacy as a public benefactor. As chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation,[16] she donated the family name and fortune to philanthropic and charitable projects, including Wallis Annenberg High School, mainly to the benefit of Los Angeles County. She served on the board of trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. She was a supporter of the Harlem Children's Zone, the Ojai Foundation's "Council project" for inner-city kids, and the Ocean Alliance.[2] She served on the board of trustees at the University of Southern California,[17] home of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In 2014, the Wallis Annenberg Hall at USC was opened as part of the Annenberg School. In 2017, she was honored with the USC University Medallion for her philanthropy and leadership.[16]

She was involved with the Wallis Annenberg Concourse at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, which held its opening gala in October 2013.[18]

She was inspired by and provided funding to build the Universally-Accessible Treehouse in Torrance, California.[19] "It is thrilling to be able to make it possible for people of all ages and physical abilities to experience the world from a treehouse," said Wallis Annenberg. "There's a sense of vision, fun, and pure escape that only such a structure can provide."[19]

Annenberg served on the board of directors for the New York-based chapter of the foundation of Princess Charlene of Monaco.[20]

Her children, Lauren Bon, Gregory Weingarten, and Charles Weingarten serve on the board of directors of the Annenberg Foundation. Her son Roger Weingarten, a resident of Devereux[21] in Santa Barbara, California, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 15, like his namesake,[22][23] is not on the board.[23][24][25] Despite her father leaving the majority of his multibillion-dollar fortune to the Annenberg Foundation, it was estimated that Annenberg had a personal fortune in excess of five hundred million dollars.[citation needed]

Her philanthropic projects included Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Annenberg Space for Photography, Annenberg Community Beach House,[citation needed] and the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which will be the largest wildlife crossing in the world when it opens in 2026.[26]

Prior to her death, Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation were instrumental in supporting Los Angeles' recovery from the January 2025 Southern California wildfires impacting Altadena and Pacific Palisades. She organized "LA Check In," a livestream fundraiser featuring D-Nice and will.i.am, to boost relief efforts. Annenberg emphasized the fires' devastating impact on people, wildlife, and key initiatives like the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which was threatened by the Kenneth Fire. The Foundation continues to provide financial aid, raise awareness, and strengthen community resilience in the face of environmental disaster.[27]

In 2025, Annenberg was honored with The Perfect World Foundation Award for her philanthropic efforts, including her support for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.[28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Graphic: MOCA Board: Meet the billionaires − Data Desk". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Colacello, Bob (September 14, 2009). "Bob Colacello on Wallis Annenberg". Vanity Fair. No. October. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Glueck, Grace (October 2, 2002). "Walter Annenberg, 94, Dies; Philanthropist and Publisher". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  4. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 12, 2009). "Leonore Annenberg, Philanthropist, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "Communications center opened". The Lewiston Journal. May 20, 1986. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013.
  6. ^ "Nancy Reagan". Gettysburg Times. May 19, 1986. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013.
  7. ^ "Gazette: The Good Citizen (Mar/Apr 2003)". Upenn.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  8. ^ "In Billionaire's View, Smart Money Is On Education Walter Annenberg Has Donated Millions. Recent Recipients Include Phila. Public Schools". articles.philly.com. March 19, 1995. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  9. ^ "Pine Manor College Alumni: Wallis Annenberg, Hillary B. Smith, Pauline Tompkins, Leslie Hindman by Books LLC | 9781158300976 | Barnes & Noble". Barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Colacello, Bob (September 14, 2009). "Bob Colacello on Wallis Annenberg". Vanity Fair. No. October. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  11. ^ Hagerty, James R. (July 28, 2025). "Wallis Annenberg, Who Donated Large Amounts of Her Family's Wealth, Dies at 86". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  12. ^ "Most Influential Family Owned Businesses 2019: THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. October 28, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Vankin, Deborah (July 28, 2025). "Wallis Annenberg, visionary philanthropist who helped transform L.A., dies at 86". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  14. ^ Sandomir, Richard (July 28, 2025). "Wallis Annenberg, Arts and Wildlife Philanthropist, Dies at 86". New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  15. ^ "Most Influential Family Owned Businesses 2019: THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. October 28, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Abidi, Alina (April 19, 2017). "Wallis Annenberg announces donation". Daily Trojan. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Trustees | Board of Trustees | USC". boardoftrustees.usc.edu. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts | Beverly Hills California". Thewallis.org. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Foundation News". Annenberg Foundation. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  20. ^ "The Foundation – Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation". December 26, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018.
  21. ^ "California Programs". Devereux. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  22. ^ Ogden, Christopher (November 11, 2009). Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316092449. Retrieved October 13, 2013 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ a b Magazine, W. (November 2008). "Firm Foundation | Culture > Art & Design". W Magazine. Wmagazine.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  24. ^ "Independence Newsletter – Spring 2003 : Everyone Goes Home A Winner !" (PDF). Devereux.org. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  25. ^ Ogden, Christopher (November 11, 2009). Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316092449. Retrieved October 13, 2013 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ "World's largest wildlife crossing on track to open by early 2026". State of California. May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  27. ^ "Wildfire Relief". Annenberg Foundation. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  28. ^ "The Great Elephant Migration Arrives in Beverly Hills". July 4, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wallis_Annenberg&oldid=1305441844"