After a career in journalism (as a reporter, copy editor, assistant drama critic and magazine writer) and publishing, and after a long-tenure as an executive with 20th Century Fox's story department and creative affairs operations from 1952-71 and a brief spell as a Warner Bros. executive, founded the successful Zanuck/Brown production company in 1972 with Richard Zanuck, a 20th Century Fox colleague and son of his former employer, Darryl F. Zanuck. Beginning with its first film, "The Sting" (1973), the team produced such notable fare as Steven Spielberg's "The Sugarland Express" (1974) and "Jaws" (1977), Sidney Lumet's "The Verdict" (1982) and Ron Howard's "Cocoon" (1985) before disbanding in 1988. Brown served as executive producer on "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), the first production of the new Zanuck Company and founded his own new production company, The Manhattan Project Ltd. in 1988. Married to third wife, COSMOPOLITAN magazine editor, Helen Gurley Brown since 1959.
- Born:
July 28, 1916 in New York City, New York, USA
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Job Titles:
Executive, Producer, Assistant drama critic, Associate editor, Editor-in-chief, Story editor, Writer
Family
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Father: Edward Fisher Brown.
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Mother: Lillian Brown.
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Son: Bruce LeGacy.
Education
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Stanford University, Stanford, California, BA, 1936
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Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, New York, New York, MS, 1937
Milestones
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1936 Worked as apprentice reporter and copy-editor at San Francisco News and The Wall Street Journal
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1937 Became night editor and assistant drama critic for Fairchild Publications, New York
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1949 Worked as editorial director for the national education campaign of the American Medical Association
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1952 Joined 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. as managing editor of the story department in L.A.
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1956 Appointed member of executive staff of Darryl F Zanuck
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1967 Made vice president story operations, 20th Century-Fox
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1972 Co-founded Zanuck/Brown Company with partner Richard Zanuck; dissolved company 1988
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1973 First films released by Zanuck/Brown, Sssssss and the Oscar-winning Best Picture The Sting
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1974 With Zanuck, produced The Sugarland Express , which marked the feature directorial debut of Steven Spielberg
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1975 Was the producer of the Oscar-nominated Jaws , helmed by Spielberg
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1978 Served as producer of the sequel Jaws 2
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1982 Produced (with Zanuck) The Verdict ; received Best Picture Oscar nomination
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1985 Enjoyed a box-office hit as producer of Cocoon
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1988 Founded and served as president, The Manhattan Project Ltd
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1988 Produced the sequel Cocoon: The Return
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1992 Was a producer on the Academy Award nominated A Few Good Men
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1997 Produced Kiss the Girls and The Saint
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1998 Reteamed with Zanuck as producer of Deep Impact
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1999 Produced Angela s Ashes , the film adaptation of Frank McCourt s memoir
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2000 Received Best Picture Oscar nomination as producer of Chocolat
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2001 Served as a producer on the semi-sequel Along Came a Spider , with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Dr Alex Cross (from Kiss the Girls )
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2001 Served as producer of the stage musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success ; production opened in Chicago before moving to NYC in spring 2002
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Became a producer for 20th Century-Fox
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Became associate editor, Street & Smith Publishers, New York
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Contributed stories and articles to many national magazines such as Collier s, Harper s and Saturday Evening Post
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Joined Cosmopolitan magazine as associate editor; then made managing editor
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Left Fox to become editorial vice president, New American Library of World Literature, Inc
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Left Fox to join Warner Bros. as executive president of creative operations and member of the board of directors
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Made editorial director for the Milk Research Council, New York
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Made member of executive staff, 20th Century-Fox studios and executive studio story editor
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Made story editor and head of scenario department, 20th Century-Fox
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Named associate editor, then executive editor and editor-in-chief, Liberty magazine, New York
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Promoted to executive vice president, creative affairs and member of the board of directors, 20th Century-Fox
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Returned to 20th Century-Fox as executive, story operations
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Served as 1st lieutenant with US Army military intelligence during WWII
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Worked as a stringer for The New York Times