Sam Zimbalist

Movie producer

What is Sam Zimbalist known for?

Sam Zimbalist, a notable alumni of Valley Center High School, was a prominent American film producer and editor born on March 31, 1905, in Kiev, the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). After moving to the US in August 1914, he became part of the entertainment industry at only 16, starting as an office boy for Richard A. Rowland, president of Metro Studios, where Zimbalist honed his film editing skills.

His editing talent led him to Hollywood, where he became the second assistant editor for actress Alla Nazimova's films. He also went on to work on significant projects like the 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz and the studio's first sound film, 'Alias Jimmy Valentine'. His competency as an editor eventually paved the way for him to become a film producer.

Zimbalist's career as a producer was as illustrious as his editing stint, with his work covering an array of renowned films that included Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), King Solomon's Mines (1950) and Quo Vadis (1951). Both 'King Solomon's Mines' and 'Quo Vadis' were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, with 'Quo Vadis' becoming one of MGM's highest-grossing films at the time.

Following the success of 'Quo Vadis', Zimbalist was appointed the producer of MGM's most elaborate production until that time - the 1959 epic, Ben-Hur. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in Rome during the filming of Ben-Hur on November 4, 1958. Posthumously, he received an Oscar for the film, making him the only person to ever posthumously receive a Best Picture award.

Born to a Ukrainian Jewish family, Zimbalist had two marriages in his lifetime – first with Margaret C. Donovan in 1924, which ended in divorce in 1950, and later to Mary Taylor, a former fashion model and actress, in 1952.

Discover more about his life and legacy on his IMDb profile and the list of his filmography on TCM.