Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902 â€" December 22, 1979) was an
American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed
stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part
in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the
length of his career was rivaled only by that of Adolph Zukor). He
earned three Academy Awards as producer for Best Picture during his
tenure, but was responsible for many more.Zanuck was born in Wahoo,
Nebraska, the son of Sarah Louise (née Torpin), who later married
Charles Norton, and Frank Zanuck, who owned and operated a hotel in
Wahoo. Zanuck was of part Swiss descent and was raised a Protestant.
At age six, Zanuck and his mother moved to Los Angeles, where the
better climate could improve her poor health. At age eight, he found
his first movie job as an extra, but his disapproving father recalled
him to Nebraska. In 1917, despite being 15, he deceived a recruiter,
joined the United States Army, and served in France with the Nebraska
National Guard during World War I.Upon returning to the US, he worked
in many part-time jobs while seeking work as a writer. He found work
producing movie plots, and sold his first story in 1922 to William
Russell and his second to Irving Thalberg. Screenwriter Frederica
Sagor Maas, story editor at Universal Pictures' New York office,
stated that one of the stories Zanuck sent out to movie studios around
this time was completely plagiarized from another author's work.
American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed
stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part
in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the
length of his career was rivaled only by that of Adolph Zukor). He
earned three Academy Awards as producer for Best Picture during his
tenure, but was responsible for many more.Zanuck was born in Wahoo,
Nebraska, the son of Sarah Louise (née Torpin), who later married
Charles Norton, and Frank Zanuck, who owned and operated a hotel in
Wahoo. Zanuck was of part Swiss descent and was raised a Protestant.
At age six, Zanuck and his mother moved to Los Angeles, where the
better climate could improve her poor health. At age eight, he found
his first movie job as an extra, but his disapproving father recalled
him to Nebraska. In 1917, despite being 15, he deceived a recruiter,
joined the United States Army, and served in France with the Nebraska
National Guard during World War I.Upon returning to the US, he worked
in many part-time jobs while seeking work as a writer. He found work
producing movie plots, and sold his first story in 1922 to William
Russell and his second to Irving Thalberg. Screenwriter Frederica
Sagor Maas, story editor at Universal Pictures' New York office,
stated that one of the stories Zanuck sent out to movie studios around
this time was completely plagiarized from another author's work.
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