Artwork by Eric Woodard

David Brown, one of Hollywood’s most enduringly successful producers, has died at his Manhattan home aged 93, after a long illness. A native New Yorker, he trained as a journalist and wrote short stories, edited numerous publications, and served as a first lieutenant with US Army Military Intelligence during World War II.

In 1951, Brown was hired by Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20^th Century Fox, to run the studio’s story department. He would stay at Fox for two decades, rising in the executive ranks and surviving two firings during a tumultuous period which changed Hollywood’s ‘star system’ irrevocably. Continue reading →