Lili Fini Zanuck
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
One of the more successful female producers, Zanuck, who has also begun a secondary career as a director, reached the top at a very young age. After a brief stint as a research assistant with the World Bank in Washington, DC, she moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of becoming a film editor. Shortly thereafter, she married producer Richard Zanuck, whom she had met on a blind date. Zanuck entered the industry as an unpaid researcher for her husband's partner David Brown, then assumed the full-time responsibilities of handling contracts, reading scripts and negotiating deals for The Zanuck/Brown Company. There, Zanuck helped develop "The Island" (1980), "Neighbors" (1981) and "The Verdict" (1982), before initiating and co-producing her first project, Ron Howard's hit "Cocoon" (1985).
After the Zanuck/Brown partnership ended in 1988, the husband and wife team formed The Zanuck Company, whose first film, the relatively low-budget "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford, won four Oscars, including Best Picture. Since then, she has co-produced such films as "Rich in Love" (1993), Walter Hill's "Wild Bill" (1995) and "Mulholland Falls" (1996).
Zanuck made her small screen debut co-producing the TV-movie "Barrington" (CBS, 1987). Her successful directorial debut was the tautly-paced "Rush" (1991), a relentlessly grim account of idealistic undercover narcotics officers who sink into drug use in order to effectively make a case. While the film featured strong performances from its leads Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric, its downbeat subject matter kept audiences at bay. In 1997, Zanuck was one of the directors chosen (along with Tom Hanks and Ted Demme, among others) to helm segments of the HBO anthology "From the Earth to the Moon."
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Director (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1977
Moved to Los Angeles to become a film editor; moved into office management at Carnation Company
1985
First film as co-producer, "Cocoon"
1987
First TV-movie as co-producer, "Barrington" (CBS)
1989
Co-produced the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Driving Miss Daisy"
1991
Directed first feature, "Rush"
1995
Co-produced "Wild Bill"
1999
Was one of the producers of the Clint Eastwood vehicle "True Crime"
2000
Signed production deal with DreamWorks
2000
With husband Richard, produced the annual telecast of the Academy Awards; first female to hold that distinction
Videos
Trailer
Family
Companions
