Jack Joseph Valenti (September 5, 1921 – April 26, 2007) was a longtime president of the Motion Picture Association of America. During his 38-year tenure in the MPAA, he created the MPAA film rating system, and he was generally regarded as one of the most influential pro-copyright lobbyists in the world.

Biography

Valenti had been a long-time bachelor until, in 1962, at the age of 41, he married Mary Margaret Valenti. They had three children: John, Alexandra and Warner Bros. studio executive Courtenay Valenti. He died just before their forty-fifth wedding anniversary.

In 1964, the FBI conducted an investigation concerning whether Valenti had a sexual relationship with a male photographer (at a time when homosexual acts were still illegal in many states of the United States). The investigation concluded that there was no evidence that Valenti was a homosexual.

In 1995, he appeared as himself on the Warner Bros. animated series Freakazoid! (close friend Steven Spielberg was the executive producer); wherein he helped recount the origin of the titular hero; he also lectured about the movie ratings by using stickers of a family; and also made frequent reference to his cheeks.