Langley Perer obit

Langley Perer Loses Cancer Battle; Manager And Producer Was 44

 She repped Olivia Milch, Stacey Harmon and Nick Schutt, worked on the 2011 remake of ‘Arthur’ and was “one of the great broads of all time.”

She was not on the list.

Unimaginably sad post-holiday news. Langley Perer, a beloved manager and producer, died June 25 following a four-year battle with cancer. She was 44 and leaves behind writer-producer husband Scott Rosenberg and their two children.

Perer, who produced the films I Am Number Four, Dude and Arthur, was a longtime manager-producer at Mosaic, leaving in 2017 to focus on family and creative projects. That included Treatable, a half-hour dark comedy that was based on her own battle with cancer. She wrote that with her former client Laura Lekkos.

Known for a force-of-nature determination, vivacious personality and infectious wit, she began her career as an assistant at Gersh, joined Benderspink as a literary manager in 2003, and then moved to Mosaic where she quickly rose up the ranks. During her tenure, Perer launched and fostered the careers of many writers and directors including Olivia Milch, Stacey Harmon, Nick Schutt, Phil and Brandon Murphy, Max Nichols, Ryan Engle and Lekkos.

“A one-line quote is not enough to describe Langley,” said Mosaic principal Jimmy Miller. “The brightest of lights, who would change the temperature in the room. Mother, wife, teammate, manager/producer. Funny, smart, and beautiful. And, apologies to all of the sensitive people out there who won’t understand (but Langley and those of us who knew her will), she was one of the great broads of all time.”

Echoing these sentiments, Milch wrote: “There was no one smarter, funnier, more vibrant, more committed or more believing. She brought joy to the pursuit of the profound truths and a daringness that was contagious. Creating art with Langley was one of the greatest gifts of my life. I will miss her heart, mind, and soul every day.”

Perer went down fighting. From the Dana-Farber Institute, where she and Rosenberg donated $2 million for clinical trials:

“In 2017, a mammogram revealed that Langley Perer had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the very earliest, and highly treatable, stage of breast cancer. Because she also tested positive for BRCA2, an inherited gene mutation that increases her risk of developing certain cancers over her lifetime, she decided to undergo a double mastectomy to ensure the cancer wouldn’t return. It was a difficult decision, but afterward, she felt ready to move forward with her life, her career, and taking care of her two small children, Bowie, age 5, and Sawyer, age 7.

But then in 2021, Langley noticed one of her eyelids was drooping. Another series of tests later, she received devastating news: at 40 years old, she had leptomeningeal metastases. Her cancer had spread to her bones, brain, and spinal fluid.

Leptomeningeal brain metastases (LBM) are rare and difficult to treat, with progress stalled largely due to lack of funding for clinical trials that include this specific subset of patients. Langley and her husband, Scott Rosenberg, both work in the film industry and are savvy about getting projects off the ground. They have applied this approach to philanthropically supporting the work of Langley’s doctor, Nancy Lin, MD, with a substantial $2 million commitment —t he largest gift ever to LBM research at Dana-Farber. Lin serves as director of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Program and of the Program for Patients with Breast Cancer Brain Metastases at Dana-Farber, and is considered one of the foremost experts on LBM in the country.”

Langley launched and fostered the careers of such writers, directors and producers as Olivia Milch (Ocean’s Eight, The Better Sister), Stacey Harmon (Cobra Kai), Nick Schutt (Outer Banks), Phil and Brandon Murphy (Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard), Max Nichols, Ryan Engle and Laura Lekkos.

Said Milch: “There was no one smarter, funnier, more vibrant, more committed or more believing. She brought joy to the pursuit of the profound truths and a daringness that was contagious. Creating art with Langley was one of the greatest gifts of my life. I will miss her heart, mind and soul every day.”

Raised in Pittsburgh, Langley Wilson Perer graduated from Tulane University and began her career as an assistant at Gersh. She joined Benderspink as a literary manager in 2003 — she went on to serve as an agent and vp production — and moved to Mosaic in 2011, moving quickly up the ranks.

Perer, who produced the films I Am Number Four, Dude and Arthur, was a longtime manager-producer at Mosaic, leaving in 2017 to focus on family and creative projects. That included Treatable, a half-hour dark comedy that was based on her own battle with cancer. She wrote that with her former client Laura Lekkos.

Known for a force-of-nature determination, vivacious personality and infectious wit, she began her career as an assistant at Gersh, joined Benderspink as a literary manager in 2003, and then moved to Mosaic where she quickly rose up the ranks