Saul Zaentz Biography

Fast Facts

• Won an Irving G․ Thalberg Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in 1997
• Served in the U․S․ Army during World War II, serving in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific
• Attended Rutgers University after World War II and took business courses in St․ Louis
• Ran away from home at the age of 15, making money by gambling and selling peanuts at baseball games
• Started out as a record distributor in San Francisco in 1950 and later worked as a salesman at Fantasy Records in 1955
• Best known as a former record company executive and film producer of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "The English Patient," and "Amadeus․"
• Produced his films on location whenever possible, including in the African desert and Central American jungles, and made a point to leave all artistic decisions to the director
• Also bought a number of jazz labels like Prestige and Riverside, giving Fantasy Records a catalog including artists like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis
• Bought Fantasy Records in 1967 and signed the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival a year later
• Made only nine films during his time in film production, most without financial backing from any Hollywood studios