Irene Gladys Selznick (née Mayer; April 2, 1907 – October 10, 1990) was an American socialite and

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

Early life

Irene Gladys Mayer was born in Brooklyn, the younger of two sisters born to film producer Louis B. Mayer and his first wife, Margaret Shenberg. Her sister, Edith (1905–1987), was nicknamed "Edie." Edith married William Goetz in March 1930, who became the vice president of

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

in 1941 and later became the head of production at Universal-International. Selznick's paternal and maternal grandparents were

Belarusian Jews The history of the Jews in Belarus begins as early as the 8th century. Jews lived in all parts of the lands of modern Belarus. Jews were the third largest ethnic group in the country in the first half of the 20th century. In 1897, the Jewish ...

who immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

in the 1880s from

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

and

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Traka ...

(then territories belonging to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

). The Mayer family initially lived in

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...

, and then moved to Hollywood in 1918. It was there that her father established

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, one of the more successful film studios of its time. She attended Hollywood School for Girls, a private school in Los Angeles. She and her sister Edith both studied singing with Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of Beverly Sills.

Marriage and career

Willebrandt and Mayer family at White House

Mayer married producer

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. ...

in 1930. Her husband came from an extremely dysfunctional but talented family, and he was one of the few men who stimulated her intellect. During the marriage, Selznick acted as a hostess to the couple's Hollywood parties. The couple frequently socialized with Hollywood stars, including Ingrid Bergman, Janet Gaynor, and

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

. Selznick was also an executive at her husband's production company. Selznick also did volunteer and charity work and worked as a probation officer for juveniles for Los Angeles County during World War II. After separating from her husband in 1945, Selznick moved to New York City, where she pursued her love of the theatre. In 1947, she worked with playwright Tennessee Williams and director Elia Kazan and produced her first play, ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'', which gave

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his break-out role. The play's success brought her a great deal of respect, and she produced four more plays, among them 1955's '' The Chalk Garden'' for which she received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nomination. She retired in 1961. Considered by her peers within the entertainment industry as one of the foremost historians of Hollywood and Broadway, Selznick published her autobiography, ''A Private View'', in 1983.

Personal life

Mayer and Selznick had two sons, Lewis Jeffrey (1932-1997) and Daniel Selznick (born 1936), both of whom became film producers. Daniel married Susan Warms Dryfoos, daughter of

Orvil E. Dryfoos Orvil Eugene Dryfoos (November 8, 1912 – May 25, 1963) was the publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1961 to his death. He entered ''The Times'' family via his marriage to Marian Sulzberger Heiskell, Marian Sulzberger, daughter of then-publi ...

. However, David O. Selznick's constant philandering and frequent financial problems as a result of a gambling addiction led to their growing apart, which resulted in her leaving Selznick in 1945. Their divorce was finalized on January 22, 1949. She was a close friend of Katharine Hepburn for several decades, but distanced herself from her late in life.

Death

Irene Mayer Selznick died on October 10, 1990 from complications from breast cancer at her apartment at The Pierre in Manhattan. Her remains were returned to California, where she was interred next to her mother in the Mausoleum, Hall of Graciousness,

Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (desig ...

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

, California.

Broadway productions

*''

'' (1947) *'' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1950) *''Flight Into Egypt'' (1952) *'' The Chalk Garden'' (1955) *''The Complaisant Lover'' (1961)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Selznick, Irene Mayer 1907 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American memoirists American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Philanthropists from New York (state) American socialites American theatre managers and producers Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from breast cancer Jewish American philanthropists People from Brooklyn People from Haverhill, Massachusetts People from Los Angeles 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American Jews