Richard D. Zanuck

Highest Rated: 100% Compulsion (1959)

Lowest Rated: 18% Chain Reaction (1996)

Birthday: Dec 13, 1934

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA

Though born into Hollywood royalty, producer Richard Zanuck frequently acted like a maverick, tackling offbeat, seemingly unfilmable projects and spinning them into box office gold. Zanuck began his career as the head of production for his father, legendary producer Darryl F. Zanuck, at 20th Century Fox, where he oversaw such classics as "The Sound of Music" (1965), "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "Patton" (1970) and "The French Connection" (1971). Following a spate of less successful titles, he lost his job and went out on his own in the early 1970s. Teaming with fellow Fox expatriate David Brown, he set up The Zanuck/Brown Company and had a huge hit with "The Sting" (1973), which paved the way for successful collaborations with Steven Spielberg on "The Sugarland Express" (1974) and "Jaws" (1975). He went on to produce such acclaimed films as "The Verdict" (1982), "Cocoon" (1985) - in partnership with wife Lili Fini Zanuck - and "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), which earned him an Academy Award. Zanuck returned to form with "Road to Perdition" (2002), and had continued success in collaboration with Tim Burton on "Big Fish" (2003) and "Alice in Wonderland" (2010). Thanks to both his pedigree and exemplary track record, Zanuck was an enduring figure in the Hollywood community who was both greatly admired and respected.