Darryl F. Zanuck, the movie mogul who produced such movies as The Longest Day and The Sound of Music, died December 22, 1979. He was 77.

Zanuck was born September 5, 1902 in Wahoo, Nebraska. Orphaned at age 13, he joined the U.S. Army as an underage recruit in 1917, and saw combat in Belgium during World War I.

Working at a variety of jobs, including steelworker, factory worker and boxer, Zanuck wanted to be a writer. He kept sending Hollywood producers screenplays and ideas for movies. Legendary producer Irving Thalberg bought one of the scripts and gave Zanuck his start in show business.

By 1924, Zanuck was writing material for the popular Rin Tin Tin series of movies. In 1927, he became an executive producer, producing his first major film, The Jazz Singer. Gangster films Little Caesar and The Public Enemy followed.

In 1933, Zanuck cofounded Twentieth Century Pictures, which two years later merged with Fox Film Corporation to form Twentieth Century Fox, one of the most successful production companies in Hollywood history.

The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, and Gentleman’s Agreement were but a few of Zanuck’s hits during the 1940’s and early 1950’s.

Zanuck’s production of 1950’s All About Eve, starring Bette Davis, won six Academy Awards, with Zanuck winning the Best Picture Oscar.

Resigning as president of Fox in 1956, he returned in 1962 to lend his expertise to bringing the studio out of a financial bind. The success of The Longest Day and The Sound of Music put Fox back in the black.

Zanuck retired for good in 1971. His film career includes 165 movies and three Irving Thalberg Memorial Awards for outstanding achievements in the movie industry.

Zanuck died December 22, 1979 in Palm Springs, California.