David O. Selznick Biography

Fast Facts

• Was voted No․ 1 producer of box-office successes by the motion-picture exhibitors of the country for 10 consecutive years
• Won the Cinecittá Cup at the 1948 Venice Film Festival for "Duel in the Sun․"
• Hoping that he would become a prodigy, his father gave him a $300 a week allowance when he was 18
• His first job in the film industry was as a script reader for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Quote: "[on the Tara set] "Once photographed, life here is ended․ It is almost symbolic of Hollywood․ Tara has no rooms inside․ It was just a façade․ So much of Hollywood is a façade․""
• Quote: "Very few people have mastered the art of enjoying their wealth․ I have mastered that art and therefore I spend my time enjoying myself․"
• Spurred the careers of such classic actors as Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotton, Gregory Peck, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Fontaine, Fred Astaire, Leslie Howard, Myrna Loy and Jennifer Jones
• The films he produced, including "Gone with the Wind" and "Rebecca," were known for employing top stars, fine writers and generous budgets
• During the filming of "Gone with the Wind" alone, he dictated over 1․5 million words worth of memos
• Played poker and roulette to relax while filming "Gone with the Wind․"