William Goetz
| William Goetz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William B. Goetz March 24, 1903 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1969 (aged 66) Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bill Goetz |
| Occupation | Film producer, studio executive |
| Years active | 1924–1966 |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Mayer (m. 1930–69) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
Louis B. Mayer (father-in-law) Irene Mayer Selznick (sister-in-law) David O. Selznick (brother-in-law) |
William B. "Bill" Goetz (March 24, 1903 – August 15, 1969) was an American film producer and studio executive. Goetz was one of the founders of Twentieth Century Pictures, later renamed 20th Century Fox. He served as Fox's vice president and later became the head of production at Universal-International.
Born to a Jewish working-class family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Goetz was the youngest of eight children. His mother died when he was ten years old and shortly thereafter his father abandoned the family. Raised by older brothers, at the age of twenty-one he followed some of his brothers to Hollywood where he found work as a crew hand at one of the large studios. After a few years, he began doing production work and in 1930 was made an associate producer at Fox Films.
In 1932, Goetz received the financial support necessary from his new father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, to become a minor partner with Joseph Schenck, the former president of United Artists, and Darryl F. Zanuck from Warner Bros. to create Twentieth Century Pictures. Zanuck was named president and Goetz served as vice-president. Successful from the very beginning, their 1934 film The House of Rothschild was nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture. In 1935, Twentieth Century bought out the financially strapped Fox Films to create 20th Century Fox.
Goetz served as vice president of the new 20th Century Fox, but in 1942 he took charge of the studio temporarily when Zanuck, a World War I veteran, joined the United States military effort in the Second World War. Goetz liked the top role in the company and after Zanuck returned, relationships became strained.
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