Saul Zaentz Biography

Saul Zaentz

Zaentz has a pretty good Oscar batting average. He has produced only eight movies since 1975 and three won the best picture Oscar: The English Patient (1996), Amadeus (1984), and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). In addition, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) was nominated for multiple Oscars. Zaentz has a three-film version of the J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings trilogy in production. The first of the three, The Fellowship of the Ring, is due out in Dec. 2000. Zaentz produced an animated version of the book in 1978.