Steven Spielberg’s Mother, Beloved Restaurateur, Dies

Leah Adler, the mother of three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg and much beloved figure in the Los Angeles Jewish community, whose dairy restaurant The Milky Way is a popular haunt for kosher consumers, died Tuesday at the age of 97.

from The Jerusalem Post:

Leah Adler, the mother of three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, died Tuesday at the age of 97 at her Los Angeles home surrounded by her family.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg’s production company said of Adler, who owned a celebrated kosher restaurant called The Milky Way in Los Angeles, “While known for her red lipstick and Peter Pan collars, for her love of daisies, for her sparkly bling, for her dancing from table to table around the Milky Way, and for her love of camping, fishing, and crossword puzzles, Leah is best remembered for her deep, limitless love for the people around her.”

Known as Lee Lee to her family and friends, Adler was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. At an early age she developed a love of music when she learned piano, later studying at the Music Conservatory in Cincinnati and graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Home Economics.

Click here to continue reading at The Jerusalem Post.

4 Comments

  • CHT

    Hollywood reporter writes: “The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to your favorite charity in her name.” That is a Kiddush Ashem.

  • adg

    She was very involved with bais betzalel. It's actually named after her husband since she donated quite a bit to renovation.
    I met her a few times at the Einsteins. She was an incredible woman.