Producer David Selznick, the Last Direct Link to Legendary Hollywood Family, Dies at 88

As a connoisseur of Hollywood history, I find myself deeply saddened by the passing of Daniel Selznick. A scion of one of Tinseltown’s most illustrious families, Daniel embodied the glamour and intrigue that has always been synonymous with the silver screen.


As a devoted fan, I mourn the passing of the esteemed producer, Daniel Selznick, who served as the last living connection to one of Hollywood’s founding dynasties. On August 1, he peacefully left us at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s Country Home campus nestled in the Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles.

Daniel Selznick spent his childhood in Beverly Hills, born into a family of show business royalty. He was the younger son of David O. Selznick, renowned producer of “Gone With the Wind,” and Irene Mayer Selznick, a successful stage producer. Notably, his grandfather was Louis B. Mayer, an influential Canadian immigrant who headed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to great heights during Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1930s and ’40s. By the time Daniel turned into a young teenager, his parents had divorced, and his father remarried actress Jennifer Jones, who received an Oscar for her performances.

Throughout his professional journey, Daniel Selznick dedicated himself to championing the arts and upholding his family’s heritage. For four consecutive years, he held a position as a production executive at Universal Studios. In collaboration with his elder brother, Jeffrey Selznick, he co-produced the 1988 Peabody Award-winning documentary “The Making of a Legend: ‘Gone With the Wind”. Tragically, Jeffrey passed away in 1997, three years senior to Daniel.

Daniel Selznick is recognized for his role as a producer in several television projects. These include the 1983 miniseries “Blood Feud,” directed by Mike Newell and featuring Robert Blake as Jimmy Hoffa and Cotter Smith as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He also produced the 1987 miniseries “Hoover vs. the Kennedys,” the 1977 TV movie thriller “Night Drive” starring Valerie Harper, and the 1981 docu-drama “Reagan’s Way: Pathway to the Presidency.”

Selznick worked as a long-term director for the Louis B. Mayer Foundation and lived at the MPTF’s Country Home. He played a significant role in building the Louis B. Mayer Theater on the facility in 1967, and he also delivered a speech during the grand opening of the renovated theater complex in 2017.

“People at the Motion Picture & Television Fund will always remember him for his intelligence, friendliness, kindness, and generosity,” the MPTF stated. Selznick is writing a memoir titled “Walking With Kings,” detailing his early years in Hollywood as a rising star, which Alfred Knopf plans to publish next year.

Selznick was married three times and left no immediate survivors, according to the MPTF.

The family requests that donations be made in Selznick’s memory to the MPTF.

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2024-08-03 07:47