Legendary motion picture producer, in 1936, he established his own studio, Selznick International Pictures, making such classic films as ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Intermezzo,’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’ for which he won his first Oscar and for which is best known. Selznick brought British director Alfred Hitchcock over to Hollywood from England in 1939, and his next Oscar win, ‘Rebecca’ (1940) was also Hitchcock’s only film to win Best Picture. In 1941, Selznick sold off his interest in ‘GWTW’ for $200,000 to John Hay Whitney, which has to rank as one of his worst decisions, since the film has continued to make money in re-releases over the next 50 years. In 1930, he married Irene Mayer, daughter of MGM cofounder, Louis B. Mayer. They would have children but would divorce in 1948. In the 1950s he spent an enormous amount of time and money developing the career of his second wife, actress Jennifer Jones. His last film, ‘A Farewell to Arms’ (1957) with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones, was not well received, and barely broke even financially. Following several heart attacks, he finally retired to his home, where he died of yet another heart attack on June 22, 1965. He once summed up his role of producer, stating, ‘The way I see it, my function is to be responsible for everything.’
Entombed in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale with his wife, in the same private corridor with Grauman, Thalberg, Harlow, and Red Skelton.