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.[2] 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.

Most Famous Work

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Gone with the Wind

(1939) Producer

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8

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King Kong

(1933) Executive Producer

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8

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Rebecca

(1940) Producer

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6

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Duel in the Sun

(1946) Screenplay

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Spellbound

(1945) Producer

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8

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The Third Man

(1949) Producer

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7

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David Copperfield

(1935) Producer

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7

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The Most Dangerous Game

(1932) Executive Producer

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Acting

Year	Character	Movie/Tv
2009	Self (archive footage)	1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year 2009-07-02 Movie
1999	Self (archive footage)	Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood 1999-01-23 Movie
1996	Self (archive footage)	Ingrid Bergman Remembered 1996-04-06 Movie
1983	Self (archive footage) (uncredited)	Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage 1983-02-25 Movie
1972	Self (archive footage)	Hollywood: The Dream Factory 1972-01-10 Movie
1961	Self (archive footage) (uncredited)	Hollywood: The Selznick Years 1961-12-31 Movie
1953	Self	The Oscars 1953-03-19 TV Show
1948	Self	The Ed Sullivan Show 1948-06-20 TV Show
1940	Self	Cavalcade of the Academy Awards 1940-07-31 Movie
Year	Character	Movie/Tv

Production

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1957	Producer	A Farewell to Arms 1957-12-14 Movie
	Executive Producer	Indiscretion of an American Wife 1953-02-14 Movie
1950	Producer	Gone to Earth 1950-11-06 Movie
1949	Producer	The Third Man 1949-08-31 Movie
1948	Producer	Portrait of Jennie 1948-12-25 Movie
1947	Producer	The Paradine Case 1947-12-31 Movie
1946	Producer	Duel in the Sun 1946-12-31 Movie
1945	Producer	Spellbound 1945-11-08 Movie
1944	Producer	The Fighting Generation 1944-10-01 Movie
	Producer	Since You Went Away 1944-06-30 Movie
1940	Producer	Rebecca 1940-03-23 Movie
1939	Producer	Gone with the Wind 1939-12-15 Movie
	Producer	Intermezzo: A Love Story 1939-10-06 Movie
	Producer	Made for Each Other 1939-02-10 Movie
1938	Producer	The Young in Heart 1938-07-06 Movie
	Producer	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1938-02-11 Movie
1937	Producer	Nothing Sacred 1937-11-25 Movie
	Producer	The Prisoner of Zenda 1937-09-03 Movie
	Producer	A Star Is Born 1937-04-27 Movie
1936	Producer	The Garden of Allah 1936-10-14 Movie
	Producer	Little Lord Fauntleroy 1936-03-06 Movie
1935	Producer	A Tale of Two Cities 1935-12-25 Movie
	Producer	Anna Karenina 1935-08-30 Movie
	Producer	Reckless 1935-04-19 Movie
	Producer	David Copperfield 1935-01-18 Movie
1934	Producer	Manhattan Melodrama 1934-05-04 Movie
	Producer	Viva Villa! 1934-04-27 Movie
1933	Producer	Dinner at Eight 1933-12-22 Movie
	Executive Producer	Dancing Lady 1933-11-24 Movie
	Producer	Meet the Baron 1933-10-20 Movie
	Executive Producer	Night Flight 1933-10-06 Movie
	Producer	Cross Fire 1933-05-28 Movie
	Producer	Sweepings 1933-04-14 Movie
	Producer	Our Betters 1933-03-17 Movie
	Executive Producer	King Kong 1933-03-15 Movie
	Executive Producer	Scarlet River 1933-03-10 Movie
	Producer	Christopher Strong 1933-03-09 Movie
	Producer	The Great Jasper 1933-03-03 Movie
	Producer	Topaze 1933-02-24 Movie
	Executive Producer	Lucky Devils 1933-02-03 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Cheyenne Kid 1933-01-20 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Past of Mary Holmes 1933-01-20 Movie
1932	Producer	The Animal Kingdom 1932-12-28 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Half-Naked Truth 1932-12-16 Movie
	Executive Producer	Penguin Pool Murder 1932-12-09 Movie
	Executive Producer	Rockabye 1932-11-25 Movie
	Executive Producer	Renegades of the West 1932-11-25 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Conquerors 1932-11-18 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Sport Parade 1932-11-11 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Phantom of Crestwood 1932-10-14 Movie
	Executive Producer	A Bill of Divorcement 1932-09-28 Movie
	Executive Producer	Hell's Highway 1932-09-23 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Most Dangerous Game 1932-09-16 Movie
	Executive Producer	Thirteen Women 1932-09-16 Movie
	Executive Producer	Hold 'Em Jail 1932-08-19 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Age of Consent 1932-08-19 Movie
	Executive Producer	Bird of Paradise 1932-08-12 Movie
	Executive Producer	Roar of the Dragon 1932-07-08 Movie
	Executive Producer	What Price Hollywood? 1932-06-24 Movie
	Executive Producer	Is My Face Red? 1932-06-17 Movie
	Executive Producer	Westward Passage 1932-05-27 Movie
	Executive Producer	State's Attorney 1932-05-20 Movie
	Executive Producer	Symphony of Six Million 1932-04-29 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Roadhouse Murder 1932-04-28 Movie
	Executive Producer	Young Bride 1932-04-08 Movie
	Executive Producer	The Lost Squadron 1932-03-12 Movie
1930	Producer	Street of Chance 1930-02-08 Movie
1929	Associate Producer	The Dance of Life 1929-08-16 Movie
	Associate Producer	The Four Feathers 1929-06-01 Movie
	Producer	The Man I Love 1929-05-25 Movie
	Associate Producer	Chinatown Nights 1929-03-29 Movie
1919	Producer	The Glorious Lady 1919-10-19 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv

Writing

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1947	Screenplay	The Paradine Case 1947-12-31 Movie
1946	Screenplay	Duel in the Sun 1946-12-31 Movie
1944	Screenplay	Since You Went Away 1944-06-30 Movie
1937	Writer	A Star Is Born 1937-04-27 Movie
1935	Story	Reckless 1935-04-19 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv

Crew

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1947	Thanks	Dishonored Lady 1947-05-16 Movie
1944	Thanks	Gaslight 1944-05-04 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv

Directing

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1939	Second Unit Director	Gone with the Wind 1939-12-15 Movie
1923	Director	Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties 1923-07-30 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv

Editing

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1928	Editor	Forgotten Faces 1928-08-05 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv