Saul Zaentz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saul Zaentz
Zaentz at the 48th Academy Awards in 1976
Born	(1921-02-28)February 28, 1921 Passaic, New Jersey, United States
Died	January 3, 2014(2014-01-03) (aged 92) San Francisco, California, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Rutgers University
Occupation	Film producer record company executive

Saul Zaentz (February 28, 1921 – January 3, 2014) was an American film producer and music executive. He was known for producing movies based on books. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times. In 1996, he also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his long career in film.

Early Life and Beginnings

Saul Zaentz was born on February 28, 1921, in Passaic, New Jersey. He was the youngest of five children. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland.

As a child, Zaentz went to William B. Cruz Memorial school. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he started working in the music world. He worked for "Jazz at the Philharmonic" and record company owner Norman Granz. This job included managing concert tours for famous musicians like Duke Ellington. After the war, he studied at Rutgers University using the G.I. Bill.

Music Career

Working with Creedence Clearwater Revival

In 1955, Saul Zaentz joined Fantasy Records. This was a very large independent jazz record label. In 1967, Zaentz and his partners bought the label. They signed a popular rock group called Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). The band's lead singer, John Fogerty, used to work in the Fantasy warehouse.

Fantasy Records owned the rights to CCR's music. John Fogerty had signed a contract that gave away many rights to his music. Zaentz and Fantasy Records also made some bad investments. These investments cost CCR a lot of money. The band later got some of this money back through legal actions.

In the 1980s, Zaentz sued Fogerty. He claimed Fogerty copied his own music. Zaentz lost this lawsuit. Fogerty then sued Zaentz to get back his legal fees. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Fogerty's favor in 1994.

Fogerty wrote songs about his experiences with Zaentz on his 1985 album Centerfield. Two songs, "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed," were about Zaentz. Zaentz then sued Fogerty for saying bad things about him in the song "Zanz Kant Danz." He also claimed that the song "The Old Man Down the Road" copied a melody from CCR's song "Run Through the Jungle." The part about saying bad things was settled. The song title and lyrics were changed to "Vanz Kant Danz." Zaentz lost the copyright case, as a jury found Fogerty had not copied the music.

Years later, Zaentz sold his share in Fantasy Records. John Fogerty then quickly signed a new deal with the label.

Film Career

Saul Zaentz won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times. He won for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984), and The English Patient (1996).

Early Film Successes

In the early 1970s, Zaentz saw a play called One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He decided to make it into a movie. He produced the film with actor Michael Douglas. The movie won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This was a huge success.

In 1980, Zaentz opened The Saul Zaentz Film Center in Berkeley, California. This was a studio for editing and mixing sound for his own films. It was also used by other filmmakers.

Working with Miloš Forman

In 1984, Zaentz worked again with director Miloš Forman. They made a movie based on the play Amadeus. This film was about the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It won eight Academy Awards, including Zaentz's second Best Picture award. The movie's soundtrack also became very popular.

Zaentz then produced The Mosquito Coast. This film was directed by Peter Weir and starred Harrison Ford. It was filmed in Belize. In 1988, Zaentz produced The Unbearable Lightness of Being. This movie was based on a novel by Milan Kundera.

His next film was At Play in the Fields of the Lord. It was filmed in the Amazon rainforest. This movie, like The Mosquito Coast, explored how Western ways of life clashed with traditional cultures.

The English Patient and Later Films

In 1992, Zaentz bought the rights to an unpublished novel called The English Patient. He worked with the author, Michael Ondaatje, on the story. Zaentz wanted to make the movie true to the book. He chose Kristin Scott Thomas for a main role, even though some people wanted a more famous actress. The movie was directed by Anthony Minghella. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture for Zaentz. At the same event, Zaentz also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his life's work in film.

In 2003, Zaentz was honored by BAFTA for his film career. In 2004–2005, Zaentz sold Fantasy Records. He also closed The Saul Zaentz Film Center. In 2005–2006, Zaentz made a new film called Goya's Ghosts. It was about the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. The film starred Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem. It was made with his long-time partners, director Miloš Forman and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Rights

Saul Zaentz's company, Tolkien Enterprises (now Middle-earth Enterprises), owned the rights to make films, stage plays, and merchandise for J. R. R. Tolkien's books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This also included rights for other Tolkien works. However, it did not include rights for TV shows longer than eight episodes.

In 1976, Zaentz got these rights from United Artists. United Artists had bought them directly from Tolkien eight years before. In 1978, Zaentz produced an animated movie version of The Lord of the Rings.

In 2022, Zaentz Co. decided to sell the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A company called Embracer Group bought these rights.

Protecting the Trademark

In 2011, Zaentz's company started legal actions against some small businesses in the UK. These businesses were using the name "Hobbit." For example, a cafe called "Hungry Hobbit" and a pub called "The Hobbit" were asked to change their names. This made some people, like actor Stephen Fry, upset. They felt it was unfair to these small businesses.

The Saul Zaentz Film Center

The Saul Zaentz Film Center was a place in Berkeley, California. It offered services for filmmakers in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was one of the main film production places in Northern California. By 2005, most of its services had closed. Only the foley recording studio, which makes sound effects, remained open as part of Fantasy Studios. Fantasy Studios closed in 2018.

The film center building was sold in 2007. It now houses Concord Music Group and other media companies.

Death

Saul Zaentz died on January 3, 2014, in San Francisco at age 92. He died from problems related to Alzheimer's disease.

John Fogerty, the singer from CCR, marked Zaentz's death. He posted the music video for his song "Vanz Kant Danz" on his Facebook page.

Helping Others

The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation started in 1997. In 2016, the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) received a very large gift from this foundation. It was US$35.5 million. This was the biggest gift ever given to a university for early childhood education. It was also the largest gift in HGSE's history.

Personal Life

Saul Zaentz was married two times. His first wife was Celia Mingus, who was the ex-wife of Charles Mingus. His second wife was Lynda Redfield. Both of his marriages ended in divorce.

Filmography