CAUSE: Zanuck suffered an inoperable brain tumour that left him incoherent and spent his last days in paranoid seclusion in Palm Springs
FURTHER READING: Darryl F. Zanuck: “Don’t Say Yes Until I Finish Talking” – Mel Gussow (London: W.H. Allen, 1971); Zanuck: The Rise And Fall Of Hollywood’s Tycoon – Leonard Mosley (Boston: Little, Brown, 1984).
Fred Zinnemann
Born April 29, 1907
Died March 14, 1997
Master craftsman. Born in Vienna, Austria, Zinnemann studied law at the University of Vienna, but instead of becoming a lawyer, enrolled in a film school in Paris in 1927 inspired by the works of Erich von Stroheim and King Vidor. Two years later, he moved to Hollywood and began his career as an extra on All Quiet On The Western Front (1930). He then became a film cutter, gradually working his way up to director. In 1936 he married Renée Bartlett and had one son, Tim. In 1938 he won an Oscar for That Mothers Might Live. His first major directorial effort came 10 years later with The Search (1948), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His biggest films came in the early Fifties when he directed High Noon (1952), which won four Oscars and saw Zinnemann nominated, and From Here To Eternity (1953) which won eight Oscars, including Best Director for Zinnemann. He won Oscars for Best Film and Best Director on A Man For All Seasons (1966). He was also nominated for The Nun’s Story (1958), The Sundowners (1960) and Julia (1977). He wrote an article on directing for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Loathing Hollywood, Zinnemann moved to London permanently in 1963. He gave up making films in 1982 after Five Days One Summer was slated by critics. Towards the end of his career he was summoned by a young executive at a film studio who began the meeting with the words: “Tell me about a few things that you’ve done.” Zinnemann responded dryly: “You first.”
CAUSE: He died in London aged 89 of natural causes.
George Zucco
Born January 11, 1886
Died May 28, 1960
Mad scientist. Born in Manchester, his family moved to Canada when Zucco was still a baby and he made his first appearance on stage in 1908. His family were opposed to his entering the field of acting, believing it to be a risky profession, but Zucco was determined to prove them wrong. In 1914 he returned to England and joined the army where he met director James Whale and the two men became firm friends. His first major film was The Dreyfus Case (1931), in which he played Cavaignac, and he soon found a niche playing mad scientists or other villains. He appeared in, among others, After The Thin Man (1936) as Dr Adolph Kammer, Parnell (1937) as Sir Charles Russell, Saratoga (1937) as Dr Harmsworth Bierd, Madame X (1937) as Dr LaFarge, Charlie Chan In Honolulu (1938) as Dr Cardigan, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939) as the Procurator of the Parisian High Court, Captain Fury (1939) as Arnold Trist, Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939) as Rolf Alferson, The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (1939) as Professor Moriarty, The Mummy’s Hand (1940) as Andoheb, The Monster And The Girl as Dr Perry, Ellery Queen And The Murder Ring (1941) as Dr Jannery, My Favorite Blonde (1942) as Doctor Hugo Streger, The Mummy’s Tomb reprising his role as Andoheb, The Mad Monster (1942) as Dr Lorenzo Cameron, The Black Swan (1942) as the former governor of Jamaica Lord Denby, The Black Raven (1943) as Amos Bradford, Sherlock Holmes In Washington (1943) as Richard Stanley,Voodoo Man (1944) as Nicholas, The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) again as Andoheb, House Of Frankenstein (1944) as Professor Bruno Lampini, Hold That Blonde (1945) as Pavel Sorasky, Fog Island (1945) as Leo Grainger, Scared To Death (1947) as Dr Josef Van Ee, Who Killed Doc Robbin? (1948) as Doc Robbin, Tarzan And The Mermaids (1948) as Palanth and David And Bathsheba (1951).
CAUSE: Critics of films claim that impressionable minds can be affected by what is portrayed on screen. It is rare for an actor to be so affected, yet that is what happened to George Zucco. Years of playing madmen finally warped his mind and he was committed to an asylum. To be close to him, his wife and daughter moved into the asylum as well. Zucco died, hopelessly insane, in Hollywood, on May 28, 1960. The following day, his wife and daughter committed suicide.
Adolph Zukor
Born January 7, 1873
Died June 10, 1976
Centenarian mogul. Born in Ricse, Austria-Hungary, Zukor emigrated to the United States aged 15 and became a road sweeper, then a film salesman, a cinema owner and, in 1913, an independent producer. He formed Famous-Players, which, in 1916, merged with Jesse Lasky’s organisation. Zukor was President and later the company took over a smaller one called Paramount. Later, it evolved into Paramount Pictures and Zukor was President until 1936 when he became Chairman.
CAUSE: Zukor died in Los Angeles, California, aged 103. He once quipped: “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”
Zulu
(GILBERT FRANCIS LANI DAMIAN KAUHI)
Born October 17, 1937
Died May 3, 2004
Top cop. Hilo, Hawaii-born Zulu was one of the original cast of the hit cop show Hawaii Five-O. He was a popular beach boy on Waikiki when he joined the programme as Detective Kono Kalakaua. He spent four years as Steve McGarrett’s burly sidekick until he was sacked following an argument with the show’s publicist. After he left he became an entertainer in the clubs and bars of Waikiki. Zulu’s death leaves only James MacArthur alive from the original cast.
CAUSE: He died, aged 66, in Hilo Medical Center, Honolulu, of complications from diabetes.
Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries Page 185