Richard D. Zanuck commands a distinguished reputation in the motion picture industry as one of its most progressive and honored leaders.
At 28, Zanuck was named president in charge of production of 20th Century Fox, becoming the then-youngest corporate head in the Hollywood annals. During his eight years at the helm, the studio received an unprecedented 159 Oscar® nominations, with three films, The Sound of Music, Patton and The French Connection, winning Best Picture Oscars®. Other successes include the Planet of the Apes franchise, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and M*A*S*H. Through the 1970s and 80s, his company Zanuck/Brown (founded with long-time collaborator David Brown in 1971), was responsible for such critical and box office hits as Jaws, The Sting, The Verdict, and Cocoon. In 1990, Zanuck, along with Lili Fini Zanuck, received the Best Picture Oscar® for Driving Miss Daisy, for which he also received a Golden Globe Award, The National Board of Review Award and top honors from the Producers Guild of America.
Since that time, Zanuck’s credits include five films with Tim Burton, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and this Spring’s release Alice in Wonderland. Other credits include Road to Perdition, Rush, Rules of Engagement, Deep Impact, True Crime, and the upcoming release Clash of the Titans.
Zanuck is one of a handful of producers to have received the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which marks the only time both father and son have been so honored.
