A graduate of Yale Law School, Mayer started in the industry in 1952 as a lawyer with Columbia Pictures, later becoming a studio executive there. He joined MGM in 1961 as assistant general manager of the studio, ultimately becoming senior vice president of administration for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., and president of MGM Laboratories, an association that spanned 25 years. He has been president and chief operating officer of Turner Entertainment Co. since 1986. Mayer has served the Motion Picture and Television Fund for over 25 years, eight of them as chair of its Board of Trustees. A former governor of the Academy, Mayer served for three three-year terms, also serving as an officer of the Academy for two years during that period. He is the founding chair of the board of directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation, created by Congress in 1996 at the recommendation of the Library of Congress to preserve "orphan films," which have no studio or other entity with an economic motive to save them. Mayer is a member of the National Film Preservation Board, which advises the Librarian of Congress concerning films to be added to the National Film Registry and their preservation at the Library of Congress. He has been honored for his work in film preservation by the Hollywood Film Festival, New York's "Career Transition for Dancers," the Telluride Film Festival, New York's Anthology Film Archives, the International Documentary Association and Yale University. He has been active with the Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industry (now known as the Entertainment Industry Foundation), the United Jewish Welfare Fund and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Silent Film Gala.  Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 2004 1 Testimonial Award