David O. Selznick
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David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902 – June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive. He is best known for producing Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940), both earning him an Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 1926, Selznick moved to Hollywood, and with the help of his father's connections, he got a job as an assistant story editor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He left MGM for Paramount Pictures in 1928, where he worked until 1931, when he joined RKO as Head of Production.
His years at RKO were fruitful, and he worked on many films, including A Bill of Divorcement (1932), What Price Hollywood? (1932), Rockabye (1932), Bird of Paradise (1932), Our Betters (1933), and King Kong (1933). While at RKO, he also gave George Cukor his directing break. In 1933 he returned to MGM where his father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, was studio CEO. Mayer established a second prestige production unit for David, parallel to that of powerful Irving Thalberg, who was in poor health. Selznick's unit output included the all star cast movie Dinner at Eight (1933), David Copperfield (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), and A Tale of Two Cities (1935).
Selznick went on to make more films at MGM, Paramount and RKO, but he wanted more independence and formed Selznick International Pictures in 1935. Here he produced classics such as Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind overshadowed the rest of Selznick's career. Later, he was convinced that he had wasted his life trying to outdo it. The closest he came to matching the film was with Duel in the Sun (1946) featuring future wife Jennifer Jones in the role of the primary character Pearl. With a huge budget, the film is known for causing moral upheaval because of the then risqué script written by Selznick. And though it was a troublesome shoot with a number of directors, the film would be a major success. The film was the second highest-grossing film of 1947 and was the first movie that Martin Scorsese saw, inspiring Scorsese's own directorial career.
Photos
Films (93)
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
2028 · Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009 · Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
2001 · Self (archive footage)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
1999 · Self (archive footage)
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
1996 · Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976 · Thanks
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
1961 · Self (archive footage)
A Farewell to Arms
1957 · Producer
Indiscretion of an American Wife
1953 · Executive Producer
Gone to Earth
1950 · Presenter
The Third Man
1949 · Executive Producer
Portrait of Jennie
1948 · Producer
The Paradine Case
1947 · Screenplay, Producer
Duel in the Sun
1946 · Screenplay, Producer, Presenter
Spellbound
1945 · Producer
The Fighting Generation
1944 · Producer
Since You Went Away
1944 · Screenplay, Producer
Gaslight
1944 · Thanks
Selznick Home Movie
1944
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940 · Self
Rebecca
1940 · Producer
Gone with the Wind
1939 · Producer, Screenplay
British Pathé Newsreels: Gone with the Wind
1939 · Self (archive footage)
Intermezzo: A Love Story
1939 · Producer
Joan Fontaine Wardrobe Test
1939 · Producer
Made for Each Other
1939 · Producer
The Young in Heart
1938 · Producer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
1938 · Producer
Nothing Sacred
1937 · Producer
The Prisoner of Zenda
1937 · Producer
A Star Is Born
1937 · Producer, Writer
The Garden of Allah
1936 · Producer
Little Lord Fauntleroy
1936 · Producer
Imogene Coca Screen Test
1936 · Producer
A Tale of Two Cities
1935 · Producer
Anna Karenina
1935 · Producer
Reckless
1935 · Story, Producer
David Copperfield
1935 · Producer
Manhattan Melodrama
1934 · Producer
Viva Villa!
1934 · Producer
Dinner at Eight
1933 · Producer
Dancing Lady
1933 · Executive Producer
Meet the Baron
1933 · Producer
Night Flight
1933 · Executive Producer
Cross Fire
1933 · Producer
Sweepings
1933 · Producer
King Kong
1933 · Executive Producer
Our Betters
1933 · Producer
Scarlet River
1933 · Executive Producer
Christopher Strong
1933 · Producer
The Great Jasper
1933 · Producer
Topaze
1933 · Producer
Lucky Devils
1933 · Executive Producer
The Cheyenne Kid
1933 · Executive Producer
The Past of Mary Holmes
1933 · Executive Producer
The Animal Kingdom
1932 · Producer
The Half-Naked Truth
1932 · Executive Producer
The Penguin Pool Murder
1932 · Executive Producer
Secrets of the French Police
1932 · Executive Producer
Rockabye
1932 · Executive Producer
Renegades of the West
1932 · Executive Producer
The Conquerors
1932 · Executive Producer
The Sport Parade
1932 · Executive Producer
Little Orphan Annie
1932 · Producer
The Phantom of Crestwood
1932 · Executive Producer
A Bill of Divorcement
1932 · Executive Producer
Hell's Highway
1932 · Executive Producer
The Most Dangerous Game
1932 · Executive Producer
Thirteen Women
1932 · Executive Producer
The Age of Consent
1932 · Executive Producer
Hold 'Em Jail
1932 · Executive Producer
Bird of Paradise
1932 · Executive Producer
Roar of the Dragon
1932 · Executive Producer
What Price Hollywood?
1932 · Executive Producer
Is My Face Red?
1932 · Executive Producer
Westward Passage
1932 · Executive Producer
State's Attorney
1932 · Executive Producer
Symphony of Six Million
1932 · Executive Producer
The Roadhouse Murder
1932 · Executive Producer
Young Bride
1932 · Executive Producer
The Lost Squadron
1932 · Executive Producer
Street of Chance
1930 · Producer
The Dance of Life
1929 · Associate Producer
The Four Feathers
1929 · Associate Producer
The Man I Love
1929 · Producer
Chinatown Nights
1929 · Associate Producer
Forgotten Faces
1928 · Editor
Roulette
1924 · Producer
Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties
1923 · Director
The Glorious Lady
1919 · Producer
