Grace Blake is a renowned film producer and executive behind many beloved films of the '80s and '90s that you might not know she played a pivotal role in. Her keen vision contributed to groundbreaking projects like "The Silence of the Lambs," "School Daze," and "The Wiz," which became major box-office hits and helped reshape the landscape for African American female filmmakers.

Blake served as the Executive Director of the legendary Apollo Theatre and was the past president of New York Women in Film and Television. Originally from Trinidad, she moved to the United States during the desegregation upheavals of the 1960s. Her film career took off after she visited the set of Sidney Poitier's "For Love of Ivy," transitioning from a secretarial position to a significant role in the film industry.