Richard D. Zanuck   [1934-2012]

Stage/Screen Director/Producer

Richard D. Zanuck (cropped).jpg


Richard D. Zanuck was a second generation movie producer, who some consider to be an equal to his father, Darryl Zanuck, in terms of contributions to the American movie industry. Richard, of course, did get some help from his father during the early years of his movie making career. But then family connections are only useful if you also have talent, and Richard clearly was endowed with considerable movie making talent.

Richard Zanuck was born on December 13, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, in the depth of the depression. For his education he attended Harvard Academy in Los Angeles, and he did his college work at Stanford University, from where he graduated around 1956. He then served in the military, and reached the rank of lieutenant during the next two years.

In 1958, at the age of 24 he made his debut as a full fledged producer with the film “Compulsion”, which went on to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the ensemble work of Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman. He followed that up his first success with the “Sanctuary”, based on a William Faulkner novel, and “The Chapman Report”.

From 1961 to 1969, Zanuck served as the Executive Vice President of Production at Twentieth Century Fox. During his tenure, Twentieth Century Fox recaptured the luster of its heyday, and received 159 Oscar nominations, including three Best Picture Awards for “The Sound of Music”, “Patton”, and “The French Connection”. The other three top rated pictures produced during that time period were “The Planet of the Apes”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, and “M*A*S*H”.

In 1969, Zanuck moved from Twentieth Century Fox to Warner Brothers where he oversaw the production of “The Exorcist” and “Blazing Saddles”.

In 1971, Zanuck, with his partner David Brown, formed the independent production company Zanuck/Brown. During the next 15 years Zanuck/Brown produced “Jaws”, triple Oscar winner and Best Picture nominee. “Jaws” was followed by “Jaws II”, and “Sugarland Express”. The latter was the Best Screenplay Winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Two other blockbusters followed, including “The Sting”, winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and “The Verdict”, nominated for five Academy Awards. Along with Zanuck’s wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, the Zanuck/Brown Company also produced the double Oscar winning “Cocoon”, and its follow up “Cocoon: The Return”.

In 1988, Zanuck formed the Zanuck Company, which produced for its debut the wildly successful “Driving Miss Daisey”. This movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won four, including “Best Picture”. In 1992, the Zanuck Company produced “Rush”, and other movies followed.

In 1998, Zanuck produced “Deep Impact” and “Rules of Engagement”. Both films were widely successful. Later Zanuck also produced “True Crime” with Clint Eastwood as the director.

In March of 2000, Zanuck and his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, produced “The Academy Awards Presentation”, an event which received nine Emmy nominations. Since that time films produced by the Zanuck organization include “Rules of Engagement” in 2000, “Planet of the Apes” in 2001, “Reign of Fire” and “Road to Perdition” in 2002, “Big Fish” in 2003, “Dead Lawyers” in 2004, “Charley and the Chocolate Factory” in 2005, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” in 2007, “The Man” in 2008, “Get Low” in 2009, and scheduled for 2010 are “Alice in Wonderland”, and “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”.

We will conclude this biographical profile with a summing up of the accomplishments of Richard Zanuck during his illustrious career as a movie producer and executive in charge of production of several major movie studios. As a producer he has been involved in 43 films including the important ones listed above. In addition he has also been personally involved in about 40 presentations where he played a small role or represented himself.

Based on the above we must conclude that Richard Zanuck has made major contributions to the American movie industry during his life time of involvement in the American movie industry. With his father Darryl Zanuck, the father-son combination will leave their stamp on the American movie industry during the first century of its existence.

As was stated before, Richard Zanuck was born in Los Angeles, California on December 13, 1934. He was married three times. His third wife, with whom he has two sons, is Lili Fini Zanuck. The names of their two sons are Harrison Zanuck and Dean Zanuck.

Richard Zanuck passed away at his Beverly Hills home on Friday, July 13, 2012, from a heart attack. He was 77 at the time of his death. A prominent film star, Morgan Freeman, stated that: "Richard was a good and longtime friend, a fine producer who was wonderful to work for and with". Morgan starred with Jessica Tandy in the Zanuck produced film "Driving Miss Daisy".

 

REFERENCES

Richard D. Zanuck, http://www.filmbug.com/db/345217

Richard D. Zanuck, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005573/

The Associated Press, "Oscar-winning producer Zanuck, 77, dies", July 14, 2012

 

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