Known For
Production
Born
May 10, 1902
Died
Jun 22, 1965
Place of Birth
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Credits
96 titles
David O. Selznick
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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.
Known For
Filmography
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Self (archive footage)
1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Self (archive footage)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Entertainment, Part II
Thanks
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Self (archive footage)
A Farewell to Arms
Producer
Indiscretion of an American Wife
Executive Producer
The Oscars
Self
Gone to Earth
Presenter
The Third Man
Executive Producer
Portrait of Jennie
Producer
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
The Paradine Case
Producer
Duel in the Sun
Screenplay
Spellbound
Producer
The Fighting Generation
Producer
Since You Went Away
Screenplay
Gaslight
Thanks
Selznick Home Movie
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
Rebecca
Producer
Gone with the Wind
Producer
British Pathé Newsreels: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
Intermezzo: A Love Story
Producer
Joan Fontaine Wardrobe Test
Producer
Made for Each Other
Producer
The Young in Heart
Producer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Producer
Nothing Sacred
Producer
The Prisoner of Zenda
Producer
A Star Is Born
Producer
The Garden of Allah
Producer
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Producer
Imogene Coca Screen Test
Producer
A Tale of Two Cities
Producer
Anna Karenina
Producer
Reckless
Story
David Copperfield
Producer
Manhattan Melodrama
Producer
Viva Villa!
Producer
Dinner at Eight
Producer
Dancing Lady
Executive Producer
Meet the Baron
Producer
Night Flight
Executive Producer