Who

LeFrak is a real estate heiress, social fixture, and occasional film and theater producer.

Backstory

LeFrak's grandfather, Harry, started a real estate development concern named the LeFrak Organization at the turn of the 20th century. Today, the company is overseen by Francine's brother, Richard LeFrak, and is one of New York's largest real estate firms with millions of square feet of residential, commercial, and retail real estate under its control. Francine has never had much to do with the family business: After graduating from Finch College, she worked briefly at Sotheby's before dabbling in the entertainment industry in the late 1970s. She now helms her own production company and is a fixture on the social scene.

On the job

Through her production studio, The Whole Picture Company, LeFrak co-produced several made-for-HBO movies including Prison Stories: Women on the Inside and Shot through the Heart. She's done work on Broadway, too, bankrolling productions of Children of a Lesser God and Crimes of the Heart. Lately, though, she's spent more time on the consulting company she founded, LeFrak Access, which provides "high level introductions, strategic planning and unique enhancement services." Translation: Francine knows many powerful, well-connected people, and she will introduce you to them for a fee.

Family ties

Francine's similarly blonde sister, Denise LeFrak Calicchio, and her sister-in-law, Karen LeFrak, are also regulars on the black-tie charity circuit.

Personal

LeFrak's first husband was the Hollywood producer Kirk D'Amico. Her second husband is former Giuliani staffer Eric "Rick" Friedberg, whom she married in 1996. The two live on Park Avenue in the lower 70s.