Biography

She graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from University of California, Riverside. Fugate and her aunt, the actress Barbara Eden, are direct descendants of Benjamin Franklin. Her cousin was the late Matthew Ansara.

Career

Fugate is the creator and executive producer of the TV series, Army Wives.

She also wrote the screenplays for the 2010 film Valentine's Day, which broke several box office records, and the 2011 follow-up, New Year's Eve. Both films were directed by Garry Marshall and featured all-star ensemble casts.

Fugate has been an active leader in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for a number of years. She was a strike captain in the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, then won a two year seat on the Board of Directors for the WGA, West (WGAw) in 2008. Fugate was re-elected to the WGAw Board of Directors in 2010 and 2012 and 2014.

In 2008, she created The Writers Fund, an anonymous group of WGA writers who financially help other WGA writers in times of need.

She was a member of the 2011 WGA Negotiating Committee.

In 2011, Fugate was invited to the White House to participate in the "Joining Forces" military family awareness campaign of First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden. She hosted an event starring Mrs. Obama at the Writers Guild Theatre to further shine a light on military issues to the entertainment community. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNN and numerous radio shows and talks shows concerning Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other struggles of the military.

She wrote a pro bono script for a Public Service Announcement starring Steven Spielberg and directed by Joanna Kerns.

She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

In 2012, she was elected to the Western Council of the Actors Fund, a non-profit industry-wide charity.

Article on Fugate in the February/March 2015 Awards Issue of "Written By" Magazine, discussing the realities of being a female screenwriter in Hollywood, "Can Feminist Values Save Hollywood?"

As a Board Member, Fugate created a series of philosophical discussions on the impact the images created on screen in Film and TV have on real life events. The topics have included Violence In The Media, the Treatment of Women: On and Off Screen and Race In America: On and Off Screen.

Awards and honorable recognitions

She received a Gracie Allen Award and a WIN Award for Army Wives, Season 1.

In 2012, she received the Visionary Award for the strong portrayal of female characters in film and television.

She was voted one of Variety magazine's Women of Impact, 2008.

She was chosen by Film France as one of the top 10 screenwriters (Valentine's Day) in September, 2010 and invited to France for the France Unlimited Access program.

Personal life

Fugate has one child, daughter Madeleine Barbara (born 2006) with actor Paul Rhys. She is a devoted fan of the New Orleans Saints and brought the team's co-owner, Rita Benson LeBlanc, to the New Year's Eve premiere. Fugate was an invited guest on the Krewe of Orpheus float in the Mardi Gras parade, 2011. She was featured in a 2013 episode of House Hunters International titled "Every Little Girl's Dream Comes True in Paris."

Credits

• How Could You Do This to Me? (2013)
• Killer Among Us (2012)
• What Alice Forgot (2013)
• New Year's Eve (2011)
• Valentine's Day (2010)
• Room in Rome (2010)
• NFL Dad (2007)
• The Senator's Wife (2007)
• Army Wives (2006)
• The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding (2006)
• The Prince & Me (2004)
• Carolina (2002)
• Xena: Warrior Princess (2001)
• Max Steel (2000)
• Kounterfeit (1996)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]