Biography
Paula Wagner (born Paula Sue Kauffman, 12 December 1946) is an American film producer and studio executive. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. She began her career as a talent agent at Creative Artists Agency, where she represented actors including Tom Cruise.
In 1992 she co-founded Cruise/Wagner Productions with Cruise. The company’s first release was Mission: Impossible (1996), which Wagner produced; subsequent credits include Mission: Impossible II (2000), Vanilla Sky (2001), The Last Samurai (2003), Mission: Impossible III (2006), War of the Worlds (2005, executive producer) and Jack Reacher (2012). She later served as co-owner and CEO of United Artists from 2006 to 2008.
Wagner continues to produce through Chestnut Ridge Productions, with credits including the film Marshall (2017). She has also produced theatre, including Pretty Woman: The Musical, and has served on the National Board of Directors of the Producers Guild of America.
