Jean Strauss

Jean Strauss is a New York Times best-selling author, legislative activist and documentary filmmaker. With the film, “Adopted: for the life of me,” she marries her twin passions of adoption reform and filmmaking.

A graduate of UC Berkeley and USC, wife of a college president and mother of two grown sons, she began making documentary films at the age of 50. Her short films have won numerous awards and were included in prestigious screenings from American Cinematheque’s annual “Women in Shorts” which highlights emerging women directors to twice being named to the San Diego Cinema Society’s “8 best shorts” lists in 2005 and 2007. Her books include Penguin’s Birthright: The Guide to Search and Reunion and the NY Times bestseller, Forever Lies: A Memoir of The Sound of Music.

“Adopted: for the life of me” is her first feature film. There are more than 550 broadcasts of ADOPTED: FOR THE LIFE OF ME scheduled for December on PBS stations throughout the country, most of which fall between December 8 and 12 -- please check local listings for a broadcast in your viewing area. For more information about the film and broadcast scheduling: www.adoptedforthelifeofme.com