Texas born, Harvard educated, Jack Valenti has had a remarkable career, spanning multiple professions and leadership roles. As an awartime bomber pilot, he flew 51 combat missions as the pilot-commander of a B-25 attack bomber with the 12th Air Force in Italy, earning several decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with four clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citation with one cluster, and the European Theater Ribbon with four battle stars.
After the war, Valenti began working as an office boy at the Humble Oil Company, now Exxon, at the age of 16. He later attended the University of Houston, graduating with a B.A. while working during the day and studying at night. He then earned an M.B.A. from Harvard.
Valenti co-founded the advertising and political consulting agency Weekley & Valenti in 1952, where he worked with the then Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, Lyndon B. Johnson. His agency was responsible for the press coverage during President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Johnson's visit to Texas in 1963. Tragically, Valenti was in the motorcade in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated.
Within hours of the assassination, Valenti was on Air Force One flying back to Washington, where he became the first newly hired special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He resigned from this position in 1966 to become the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, a role he has held for over three decades.
As the leader of the MPAA, Valenti has navigated the industry through significant changes, including the rise of home video, cable television, and the internet. He has also written four books, including three non-fiction works and a political novel, and has contributed essays to numerous publications. Valenti has received several honors, including the French Legion of Honor and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Throughout his life, Valenti has been married to his wife, Mary Margaret, and they have three children, Courtenay, John, and Alexandra. He passed away in April 2007 due to complications from a stroke.
