Darryl F. Zanuck Biography

Fast Facts

• Made his film debut at age 8 as an extra in a silent western
• Abandoned by both of his parents when he was a teenager, he lied about his age and joined the Nebraska National Guard; served in France and Belgium during World War I
• Aspired to be a writer and in 1919 moved to L
• A
• to work in motion pictures
• In 1923, he was hired by Warner Bros
• as a screenwriter for Rin Tin Tin; under a number of pseudonyms, he wrote more than 40 film scripts
• Was promoted to studio manager in 1928 and just a year later was named head of production
• In 1933, he resigned from Warner Bros
• and formed 20th Century Pictures with Joseph Schenck; two years later the company merged with Fox Film Corporation and became 20th Century Fox
• During WWII, he re-enlisted in the Army and reached the rank of colonel
• Resigned from 20th Century Fox in 1956 and moved to Europe to become an independent producer; he returned to the studio in 1962 and remained involved with the company until 1971
• Over his career he produced more than 165 motion pictures, wrote or co-wrote nearly 60, and introduced many film stars, including James Cagney, Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple