| Darryl F. Zanuck was born on September 5, 1902, in Wahoo, Nebraska. He died on December 22, 1979.
Abandoned by his parents at 15, Zanuck joined the U.S. Army and fought in Belgium in World War I.
After the war, he held a variety of jobs before deciding to become a writer. He began working his stories into story ideas for films then he began writing screenplays.
At 23 he became the head of production for Warner Bros.. In 1933, he quit Warner and formed Twentieth Century Films which soon merged with Fox. Zanuck headed 20th Century Fox for two decades before becoming an independent producer.
In 1962, Zanuck returned to Fox and placed his son, Richard Zanuck, in charge of production. In 1969, a power struggle developed between Darryl and Richard and the board of the studio. In May of 1971, Darryl Zanuck was forced out of the company. Links: |
