[4][5] While studying at Stanford University, he began his career in the film industry working for the 20th Century Fox story department.

[6] After failures like 1967's Doctor Dolittle, he was dismissed by his father and joined Warner Bros. as Executive Vice President.

The two men produced a pair of Steven Spielberg's early films, The Sugarland Express (1974) and Jaws (1975).

They subsequently produced such box office hits as Cocoon (1985) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989) before dissolving their partnership in 1988.

[9][10][11] The marriage became difficult after Harrison failed to garner the role of the wife in Zanuck's production of Jaws.

"[15] On September 23, 1978, Zanuck married his third wife, Lili Fini (born 1954), a former World Bank employee and Carnation Co. office manager, who helped him raise his sons from his second marriage, and would co-produce some of his most memorable films, including Cocoon (1985), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), and Reign of Fire (2002).

In 1998, she directed an episode of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, titled "We Have Cleared the Tower",[citation needed] and in 2000, Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck co-produced the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony.

[18] On February 25, 2014, 20th Century Fox opened the Richard D. Zanuck Production Building at its Los Angeles studios.

"Richard was a true giant of our industry for over five decades", Fox chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos said at the dedication ceremony.