A New Yorker, Roth’s uncles worked in the radio business, so she started writing comedy for some of their clients, such as Art Carney. In 1958 she joined United Artists, becoming one of the first female executives at a major Hollywood studio. She rose to the head of UA’s development department, a post she held for more than 10 years before moving to do development work at Playboy Productions.
After leaving Playboy, she went on to teach screenwriting at USC’s film school. She was apparently a good teacher: her son Eric won an Academy Award for his screenplay, Forrest Gump. Roth died March 7 from cancer. She was 81.