Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed on Monday that Trainor, a longtime friend, passed away at home in Montecito, California, on May 20. She was 62. Mary Ellen Trainor got her start in the film business as a producer s assistant on a number of movies including the 1979 Steven Spielberg film “1941,” which her eventual husband, director Robert Zemeckis, wrote.[contentblock id=1 img=adsense.png]
After the couple married in 1980, Zemeckis cast Trainor in her first film, “Romancing the Stone,” as the kidnapped sister of Kathleen Turner s character. In addition to a number of cameos in Zemeckis films, including “Forrest Gump” and “Back to the Future,” Trainor became a regular fixture in some of the biggest films of the 1980s.[contentblock id=2 img=adsense.png]
She played a police psychiatrist in “Lethal Weapon” and its sequels, a television reporter in “Die Hard” and the mother of two main characters in “The Goonies.” She also had a part in “Ghostbusters II.” On the small screen, Trainor was a cast member on the short-lived series “Relativity” and had a recurring role on “Roswell.”[contentblock id=3 img=adsense.png]
“Mare and I have been close since our days together as college roommates, and she even provided the introduction to Steven Spielberg that jumpstarted my career,” Kennedy said in a statement. “She was a great actress, warm friend and generous spirit.” Zemeckis and Trainor, who divorced in 2000, had one child, Alex Zemeckis. A memorial service will be held June 19 in Montecito.