The 72nd Annual Academy Awards®

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Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck to produce 72nd Annual Academy Awards®

The Zanucks succeed Gilbert Cates, who not only produced the last three shows but also a record of nine Oscar telecasts altogether. Academy President Robert Rehme said, "Gil has done yeoman work for the Academy and produced some of the highest-rated shows of the last 15 years. But with this new producing team in place I look forward to a whole new perspective on the Presentations and an exciting Oscar Sunday next March."

Together the Zanucks won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1989 for Driving Miss Daisy. Richard received two additional Best Picture nominations, for Jaws in 1975 and The Verdict in 1982. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1990, given to producers "whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production."

Lili Fini Zanuck discovered the screenplay for Cocoon, which she co-produced. She made her directorial debut with Rush in 1992, and recently directed a segment of the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon.

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