Background
Eaton was born in Boston and raised in Pasadena, California, her father a Caltech English literature professor and her mother, Katherine Emery, an actress both on Broadway (in Lillian Hellman"s The Children"s Hour) and in film.
(“An anecdote-filled memoir . . . Rebecca Eaton looks back...)
“An anecdote-filled memoir . . . Rebecca Eaton looks back on 25 fascinating years at Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery!” —USA Today When Rebecca Eaton became the producer of Masterpiece Theatre in 1985, she hadn’t actually seen many of the episodes. Nor did she even like mystery novels, though she would be required to choose stories for Mystery! But the lifelong Anglophile seized her chance to make a mark in the budding public television system. Twenty-eight years later, Masterpiece is one of television’s hottest shows, and Eaton is responsible for its triumphant transition from the “quill-pen” era into the digital age. Filled with anecdotes about (and the occasional interview with) the unforgettable hosts, the inspired creators, and the many talented actors she’s worked with over the years, Making Masterpiece is a compulsively readable treat for any fan of these beloved and iconic programs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143126040/?tag=2022091-20
Eaton was born in Boston and raised in Pasadena, California, her father a Caltech English literature professor and her mother, Katherine Emery, an actress both on Broadway (in Lillian Hellman"s The Children"s Hour) and in film.
Eaton attended Vassar, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor in English literature.
Eaton recalls visiting New York every summer to see Broadway shows as well as spending her junior high school days lost in Jane Eyre. Her senior thesis was on James Joyce"s Dubliners. In 1969-1970 she was a production assistant for the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service in London.
Returning to the United States., she was in 1972 hired by WGBH in Boston, there producing Pantechnicon (a radio arts magazine) and the television programs Zoom and Enterprise.
Eaton became the third executive producer of Masterpiece Theatre. Christopher Sarson was at the helm from its inception in 1971.
Sarson had bought Upstairs, Downstairs from Independent Television. Eaton succeeded the series" second executive producer, Joan Wilson, in 1985. Under Eaton, Masterpiece extended its reach into feature film co-production for such films as Jane Austen"s Persuasion and Mistress
Brown starring Dame Judi Dench.
By 2011 she had been executive producer of the show for more than 25 of its 40 years on the air.
(“An anecdote-filled memoir . . . Rebecca Eaton looks back...)