Stephanie Samuel Durant

On Monday, February 16, Stephanie Brett Samuel Durant died peacefully at her home in Georgia after a long battle with a Parkinson’s related disease. Her husband Robin Blair Durant was at her side. A New Orleans native, Stephanie’s essence was of New Orleans. She loved the sound of a brass band drifting through a neighborhood, the perfume of sweet olive in the wind and the spirit of a city she audaciously promoted and fearlessly protected.

Stephanie grew up in the New Orleans Garden District as the daughter of art collectors and pioneering preservationists. She had an early appreciation of fine arts and architecture. Her prodigious intellect was matched with a wry sense of humor that stayed with her until the end. In the words of her longtime friend, Harry Shearer, “She was a fun-loving gal who lived to crack wise.”

Stephanie’s education began at the lauded Miss Aiken’s School on 2nd and Camp. From there she went to Louise S. McGehee School where she formed friendships that lasted her lifetime. She attended Sarah Laurence College and received her BA in Communications from Loyola University, and her Masters in Drama and Communications from the University of New Orleans. Stephanie earned her PhD in Art, Film and Intellectual History from the University of Texas at Austin, where she spent two years as an adjunct professor.

Stephanie was a determined trailblazer in the Louisiana film community. She mentored and inspired generations of film professionals. As a Director of The New Orleans Office of Film and Video in the early 2000’s, Stephanie shaped the scale and direction of city film policy, fostering a renaissance in Louisiana filming under the state’s Louisiana Film Tax Credit system. Her direction was informed by a career in the trenches working as a Location Manager and Scout on such iconic feature films as “Interview with the Vampire,” “Pelican Brief,” “Blaze,” “Cobb,” “Johnny Handsome,” “Miller’s Crossing,” “The Apostle,” “Lolita,” and “Crazy in Alabama.” Her prodigious efforts reintroduced the architectural beauty of New Orleans and the landscapes of south Louisiana to a new generation of filmgoers. Stephanie counted among her friends and colleagues such filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Shelton, Lolita Davidovich, Antonio Banderas, Redmond Morris, Mark Childress, John Goodman, Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, and her great friend the late Robert Duval, who died on the same day.

Stephanie’s inexorable charm was her profound curiosity and a durable belief in what might be created. She had an innate graciousness, a poise and the rare ability to both connect with people and to encourage connections amongst other people. Stephanie instinctively understood the art of living. She kept her placemats in her oven; her dogs on her bed and her heart in her hand, giving it freely to friends, to those less fortunate and to those who simply asked.

An early team member of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Stephanie’s commitment to her community and her love of the arts, extended to her work on several important boards including The Advisory Board of the New Orleans Film Festival, the boards of the Newcomb Art Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the William Faulkner Society, and the Advisory Board of the Contemporary Arts Center. She was the New Orleans Film Society’s Celluloid Hero and Citibusiness Woman of the Year. Her accolades are a treasure trove of accomplishment and contribution. But far beyond that, Stephanie was an accomplished spirit, an accomplished soul that encouraged others to live their best lives and it was always her great joy to live it with them.

In retirement, Stephanie travelled the world with her husband, Robin, exploring French Polynesia, touring England and watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon, attending the Beijing Olympics, and ferreting out unique art collections wherever they existed. Throughout her life, Stephanie was an active and informed collector herself, amassing a curated cache of works by southern artists. Her love of all music and her deep knowledge of show tunes entertained friends and invited jovial sing-alongs. A favorite was a 1925 rendition of “The Prisoner’s Song” from Vernon Dalhart favoring the closing line… “If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly.” From those that knew and loved Stephanie, it is with profound love that we send her, on gossamer wings, over those prison walls.

Stephanie is preceded in death by her mother, Martha Ann Brett Samuel, and her father J. Raymond Samuel, many dear friends too long to list and her treasured Dalmatian, Balthazar. She is survived by her husband Robin Blair Durant, three stepchildren and four grand-children and her dear sister Cynthia Ann Samuel Brockhoeft.

There will be no formal funeral at Stephanie’s request. She has instead chosen to give her ashes to the wind, preferably a South Sea breeze. A celebration of Stephanie’s life will be held in the near future. Arrangements are still pending. Please text Virginia for plans as they evolve. If you would like to make a contribution in memory of Stephanie, please consider the Ogden Museum of Southern Art or the New Orleans Film Society.