Sam Zimbalist (March 31, 1901–November 4, 1958) was an American film producer and

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

Early life

Born to a

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family, Zimbalist began his career at 16 as an office boy to Metro Studios president Richard A. Rowland. He began to do some editing in his spare time when films needed to be trimmed to meet censorship requirements. He became friendly with actress Alla Nazimova, who was under contract to Metro and told her of his desire to be a full editor. She invited him out to Hollywood in 1920 to become second assistant editor on her films. In 1923 when Nazimova's contract with Metro ended, he returned with her to New York and became her assistant stage manager on Broadway.

Film editor

In 1924 Zimbalist returned to Los Angeles seeking film work. Metro pictures had merged with Sam Goldwyn's company to become MGM. Zimbalist went to work for them as an assistant editor and soon worked his way up to full editor. He edited the 1925 version of '' The Wizard of Oz''. Among the films he edited at MGM were Lon Chaney's '' While the City Sleeps'' (1928), ''Alias Jimmy Valentine'', the studio's first sound film, and '' The Broadway Melody'' (1929), the first sound musical.

Film producer

He was promoted to assistant producer in 1929 working for Hunt Stromberg and became a producer on his own in 1936 with ''Married Before Breakfast''. He produced films including '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944), the story of the Doolittle Raiders, ''

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'' (1950) and '' Quo Vadis'' (1951). The latter two both received

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations for Best Picture. ''Quo Vadis'' was MGM's second-highest-grossing film at the time behind ''Gone with the Wind'' and MGM's most profitable film of the era with worldwide rentals of $23 million on a cost of $7 million. Based on the success of ''Quo Vadis'', he was made producer of MGM's most elaborate production until that time, the 1959 epic '' Ben-Hur''. He received a

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for the film, and remains the only person to ever posthumously receive a Best Picture award. His Oscar was accepted by his wife Mary Zimbalist, who made a speech in honor of her late husband. ''Ben-Hur'' was even more profitable than ''Quo Vadis'' becoming MGM's second-highest-grossing film at the time (again, behind ''Gone With the Wind'') making Zimbalist the producer of the second- and third-highest-grossing films at the studio.

Personal life

Zimbalist married Margaret C. Donovan in 1924. They divorced in 1950. He then married Mary Taylor, a former fashion model and actress, in 1952.

Death

Zimbalist collapsed suddenly of a heart attack on set in Rome, Italy, during filming of ''Ben-Hur''. He was taken to his villa where he died. He was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park in

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, and left an estate of $500,000.

Selected filmography

*'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1925) – editor *''The Dome Doctor'' (1925) (short) – editor *''The Cloudhopper'' (1925) (short) – editor * '' The Unchastened Woman'' (1925) – editor * '' Johnny Get Your Hair Cut'' (1927) – editor * ''

The Bugle Call ''The Bugle Call'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Jackie Coogan and Claire Windsor, which was released on August 6, 1927. The Lost Film Files database lists this film as being lost film, lost. Pl ...

'' (1927) – editor *'' Foreign Devils'' (1927) – editor *''

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'' (1927) – editor *'' Baby Mine'' (1928) – editor *''

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'' (1928) – editor *'' Diamond Handcuffs'' (1928) – editor *'' The Adventurer'' (1928) – editor * '' While the City Sleeps'' (1928) – editor *'' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' (1928) – editor *''Gus Edwards' Song Revue'' (1929) (short) – editor *'' The Broadway Melody'' (1929) – editor *''Song of the Roses'' (1929) (short) – editor *'' Our Modern Maidens'' (1929) – editor *'' Tarzan Escapes'' (1936) – associate producer * '' Married Before Breakfast'' (1937) – producer * '' London by Night'' (1937) – producer * '' Navy Blue and Gold'' (1937) – producer * '' Paradise for Three'' (1938) – producer * '' The Crowd Roars'' (1938) – producer * '' Tarzan Finds a Son'' (1939) – producer * '' Lady of the Tropics'' (1939) – producer * '' These Glamour Girls'' (1939) – producer * '' Boom Town'' (1940) – producer * '' Tortilla Flat'' (1940) – producer * '' 30 Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) – producer * ''

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'' (1945) – producer * '' Killer McCoy'' (1947) – producer * '' Side Street'' (1949) – producer * ''

'' (1950) – producer * ''

Too Young to Kiss ''Too Young to Kiss'' (also ''All Too Young'') is a 1951 American comedy film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Van Johnson and June Allyson. The film, in which the 34-year-old Allyson's Cynthia Potter masquerades as a 14-year-old child prodigy ...

'' (1951) – producer * '' Quo Vadis?'' (1951) – producer * '' Mogambo'' (1953) – producer * ''

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'' (1954) – producer * '' Tribute to a Bad Man'' (1956) – producer * '' The Catered Affair'' (1956) – producer * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957) – producer * '' I Accuse!'' (1959) – producer * '' Ben Hur'' (1959) – producer

Unmade films

*adaptation of ''

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'' (1947) with

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and later Stewart Granger

References

External links

*
Allmovie bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimbalist, Sam 1900s births 1958 deaths Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film producers American film editors 20th-century American Jews Golden Globe Award–winning producers 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Year of birth uncertain