Studio founder whose dynamism and gift for gauging audience appeal made him one of the most durable and influential executives in Hollywood history.
Zanuck began submitting stories to film studios in the early 1920s and was a staff screenwriter for Warner Bros. by 1924. He had a knack for catchy, crafty narratives, including a series of Rin Tin Tin vehicles; more importantly, he displayed energy and a talent for administration which led to his being named production chief in 1929. In this position, Zanuck oversaw the transition to sound (which made Warners a major studio overnight) and put into production the cycle of gangster movies, bitter social melodramas and musicals for which the studio became renowned.
Zanuck formed 20th Century Pictures with Joseph Schenck in 1933; a year later, the company merged with Fox, with Zanuck positioned as head of production. A shrewd leader, with the ability to inspire awe and respect from those around him, Zanuck would guide the studio to many a commercial bonanza.
At 20th Century-Fox, Zanuck concentrated first on profit and entertainment and only secondly on ethical or artistic concerns. As he had done at Warners, Zanuck gave audiences what they wanted when they wanted it; from the shallow morale-boosting of Shirley Temple vehicles to the superior, war-time Americana of John Ford ("The Grapes of Wrath" 1940) and Henry King ("Wilson" 1944) to post-war "problem" films like "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947) and "No Way Out" (1950).
Zanuck went independent in 1956 and suffered a string of flops before scoring a huge success with the WWII epic, "The Longest Day" (1962). In the same year, he was called back by 20th Century-Fox to save the company from the impending financial disaster brought on by "Cleopatra" (1962). Zanuck took over as president and named his son, Richard Zanuck, executive vice president of production. In 1969 he became chairman and CEO and elevated his son to president, only to fire him a year later due to continuing fiscal problems. Zanuck himself resigned in 1971.