Donald David Zec (12 March 1919 – 6 September 2021) was a British newspaper journalist and biographer who worked for the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'' in various departments for 40 years.

Biography

Zec's grandfather was a Jewish refugee from Odessa, in Ukraine. His father Simon Zecanovsky settled in London, shortened the family name to Zec, and raised nine daughters and two sons. He was educated at Upton House Secondary School, Homerton in East London He was married for 66 years. After his wife Frances died in 2006 he took up painting, mainly with

acrylic paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. De ...

. In October 2012 he won '' The Oldie'' magazine's inaugural British Artists Award (OBA) for artists over the age of 60. A year later his portrait of his late paternal grandfather (entitled "My Grandfather, the Pious Patriarch") was presented at the

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, s ...

, jointly winning the

Hugh Casson Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson (23 May 1910 – 15 August 1999) was a British architect. He was also active as an interior designer, as an artist, and as a writer and broadcaster on twentieth-century design. He was the director of architecture for t ...

Prize for Drawing.

Career

Zec's career in journalism began in 1938 with a three-day trial at the ''

''. Interviewed by Michael Freedland in 2009, he recalled: "I was so embarrassingly bad that no one had the courage to tell me, so I stayed for 40 years."Michael Freedlan
"Donald Zec: He scooped them all..."
''The Jewish Chronicle'', 26 March 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2015. During the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, he served in the

London Irish Rifles The London Irish Rifles (LIR) was a reserve infantry regiment and then company of the British Army. The unit's final incarnation was as D (London Irish Rifles) Company, the London Regiment. On 1 April 2022 soldiers in the company transferred to ...

, returning to the ''Daily Mirror'' as a crime reporter. On one occasion, he interviewed the acid-bath murderer John George Haigh in the Onslow Court Hotel. He followed this post by becoming the paper's Royal correspondent, "which I thought was a natural progression", he told Freedland. Later, he became a journalist writing about film. In the course of his work he interviewed and wrote about many celebrities from the entertainment industry, including Humphrey Bogart,

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

, Ingrid Bergman,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, and

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. In October 1967, he won a National Press Award as Descriptive Writer of the year, the citation spoke of his "bland outrageousness and a deadly certainty of aim". Extending his range, he interviewed major political figures such as a former Chancellor of the Exchequer

Selwyn Lloyd John Selwyn Brooke Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd, (28 July 1904 – 18 May 1978) was a British politician. Born and raised in Cheshire, he was an active Liberal as a young man in the 1920s. In the following decade, he practised as a barrister and ...

, the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the (then) leader of the Opposition

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

, Lord Mountbatten of Burma and the former Californian Governor Ronald Reagan in 1967, commenting: "it is a whimsical if not uneasy thought that an ex-movie star of many films that escape instant recollection could one day become President of the United States of America". In 1970, Zec was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) for services to Journalism. The many books Zec wrote include biographies of

the Queen Mother ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Sophia Loren,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

, Elizabeth Taylor and

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

. Zec's biography of his brother, the

political cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or curre ...

Philip Zec Philip Zec (25 December 1909 – 14 July 1983) was a British political cartoonist and editor. Moving from the advertising industry to drawing political cartoons due to his abhorrence of the rise of fascism, Donald Zec (journalist)"Zec, Philip (190 ...

, entitled ''Don't Lose It Again! The Life and Wartime Cartoons of Philip Zec'', was published in 2005. Zec died in September 2021, at the age of 102.

Bibliography

* ''Barbra: A Biography of Barbra Streisand'' (with Anthony Fowles). London: Hodder, 1982; (softcover) / (hardcover). New York: St Martin's Press, 1981; * ''The Colonel'' – a novel. London:

Virgin Books Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing arm ...

, 1980; (softcover). W. H. Allen; (hardcover) * ''The Deal''. London: Hodder, 1980; (softcover) / (hardcover) * ''Don't Lose It Again! The Life and Wartime Cartoons of Philip Zec''. London: Political Cartoon Society, 2005; * ''The Face''. London: Political Cartoon Society, 1981; (hardcover)/ (softcover) * ''Liz: The Men, the Myths, and the Miracle – An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth Taylor''. Bookman Projects, 1982; * ''Marvin: The Story of Lee Marvin''. London: Hodder, 1980; . New York: St Martin's Press; * ''Put the Knife in Gently: Memoirs of a Life with Legends''. London: Anova Books, 2003; * ''The Queen Mother: With Unique Recollections by the Earl Mountbatten of Burma''. Thorndike Press, 1990: * ''Sophia: An Intimate Biography''. London: W. H. Allen, 1975; . G.K. Hall; * ''Some Enchanted Egos: Decent Exposures of Some of the Most Celebrated Characters of Our Time''. London:

Allison & Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...

, 1972; * ''This Show Business, Donald Zec on''. London: Daily Mirror, 1959. * ''When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli'' (with

Albert R. Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...

). London: PanMacmillan, 1999; (hardcover) / (softcover)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zec, Donald 1919 births 2021 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Daily Mirror people English biographers English memoirists English journalists 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters English people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Officers of the Order of the British Empire Writers from London 20th-century English writers 21st-century English writers Military personnel from London London Irish Rifles soldiers English centenarians Men centenarians 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists