Richard D. Zanuck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard D. Zanuck
Zanuck at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards, 1990
Born	Richard Darryl Zanuck (1934-12-13)December 13, 1934 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	July 13, 2012(2012-07-13) (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film producer
Years active	1956–2012
Spouse(s)	Lili Gentle ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1969)​ Linda Harrison ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1978)​ Lili Fini ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	4, including Dean Zanuck
Parents	Darryl F. Zanuck (father) Virginia Fox (mother)

Richard Darryl Zanuck (born December 13, 1934 – died July 13, 2012) was a famous American film producer. He produced many popular movies. His film Driving Miss Daisy won the top award, the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 1989.

Richard Zanuck helped start the career of director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg called him a "director's producer." This means Zanuck was great at supporting directors. Spielberg also said Zanuck was a very honest and loyal person in the movie business.

Richard Zanuck's Early Life and Career

Richard Darryl Zanuck was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother was actress Virginia Fox. His father was Darryl F. Zanuck, who was in charge of making movies for 20th Century Fox. Richard was the youngest of three children. He had two older sisters, Darrylin and Susan.

While studying at Stanford University, Richard started working in the movie business. He began in the story department at 20th Century Fox. In 1959, he produced his first film, Compulsion.

Leading 20th Century Fox

In the 1960s, Richard Zanuck became the president of 20th Century Fox. A book called The Studio by John Gregory Dunne wrote about one year of his time leading the company. After some movies like 1967's Doctor Dolittle did not do well, his father removed him from the job. Richard then joined Warner Bros. as an Executive Vice President.

Forming Zanuck/Brown Company

In 1972, Zanuck teamed up with David Brown. They started their own movie production company called the Zanuck/Brown Company. This company worked with Universal Pictures.

Their first big success was "The Sting" (1973). This movie won the Best Picture Academy Award in 1974. The two producers also worked on two of Steven Spielberg's early films: The Sugarland Express (1974) and Jaws (1975).

They went on to produce other successful movies like Cocoon (1985) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Their partnership ended in 1988. In 1990, Richard Zanuck and David Brown received a special award together. It was the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This award honors producers who have made many great movies.

Working with Tim Burton

Richard Zanuck worked with director Tim Burton six times. He produced many of Burton's well-known films, including:

• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• Big Fish (2003)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
• Alice in Wonderland (2010)
• Dark Shadows (2012)

Zanuck and Burton quickly became good friends and colleagues. Richard Zanuck was Tim Burton's favorite producer. In an interview in 2012, Zanuck explained his role. He said a producer should help with a movie from start to finish. He was always on set, even if the director, like Tim Burton, didn't need him.

Richard Zanuck's Family Life

Richard Zanuck was married three times.

First Marriage

On January 14, 1958, he married Lili Charlene Gentle. She was an actress. They had two daughters, Virginia Lorraine Zanuck (born 1959) and Janet Beverly Zanuck (born 1960). Their marriage ended in 1968.

Second Marriage

On October 26, 1969, Zanuck married actress Linda Harrison. They had two sons, Harrison Richard Zanuck (born 1971) and Dean Francis Zanuck (born 1972). Their marriage became difficult, and they divorced in 1977. Richard was given custody of his two sons.

Third Marriage

On September 23, 1978, Zanuck married his third wife, Lili Fini. She helped him raise his sons from his second marriage. Lili Fini also became a successful producer. She co-produced some of his most famous films, such as:

• Cocoon (1985)
• Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
• Reign of Fire (2002)

When the Zanucks won the Best Picture Oscar in 1989 for Driving Miss Daisy, Lili Fini Zanuck made history. She was only the second woman ever to win an Oscar for Best Picture. In 2000, Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck also worked together to produce the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony.

Richard Zanuck's Death

Richard Zanuck passed away on July 13, 2012. He died from a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles.

On February 25, 2014, 20th Century Fox honored him. They opened the Richard D. Zanuck Production Building at their Los Angeles studios. The chairman of Fox, Jim Gianopulos, said that Richard was a "true giant" in the movie industry for over fifty years. He added that Zanuck was like family and a big part of their history. Richard's wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, his sons, and some of his grandchildren attended the ceremony.

Filmography

Richard Zanuck was a producer for all the films listed below, unless noted otherwise.

Film

Credited as producer

Credited as executive producer

Other film credits

Television

Awards and Nominations

Richard Zanuck won many awards for his work in film. Here are some of the most important ones:

See also

In Spanish: Richard D. Zanuck para niños