Biography
Fred Zinnemann was an Austrian-born director and producer who emigrated to the United States in 1929. His American film career spanned from 1930 to 1982. A research job at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) led to a directing job in the Shorts Department. Over a four-year period Zinnemann directed eighteen short films, including several Pete Smith Specialties. He directed two Academy Award-winning short subjects: THAT MOTHERS MIGHT LIVE (1938) and BENJY (1951). Zinnemann made the transition to features and directed such notable films as HIGH NOON (1952), OKLAHOMA! (1955), THE NUN'S STORY (1959), THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973), and JULIA (1977). His seven nominations in the directing category include Academy Awards for FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966) (he also received an Academy Award as the producer of that film when it won Best Picture). Zinnemann served on the Academy Board of Governors in the 1960s.