Irene Mayer Selznick
Irene Gladys Selznick (née Mayer; April 2, 1907 – October 10, 1990) was an American socialite and theatrical producer.
Irene Mayer Selznick
April 2, 1907
October 10, 1990 (aged 83)
Hollywood School for Girls
Theatrical producer
1949–1961
2
Louis B. Mayer
Margaret Shenberg Mayer
Early life[edit]
Irene Gladys Mayer was born in Brooklyn, the younger of two sisters born to film producer Louis B. Mayer and his first wife, Margaret Shenberg Mayer.
Her sister, Edith (1905–1987), was nicknamed "Edie."[1] In March, 1930, Edith married William Goetz, who became the vice president of 20th Century Fox in 1941 and later became the head of production at Universal-International.[2][3]
Selznick's paternal and maternal grandparents were Belarusian Jews who immigrated to Canada in the 1880s from Vilnius and Kaunas (then territories belonging to the Russian Empire).[4][5]
The Mayer family initially lived in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and then moved to Hollywood in 1918. It was there that her father established Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, one of the more successful film studios of its time.[4] She attended Hollywood School for Girls, a private school in Los Angeles.[6] She and her sister Edith both studied singing with Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of Beverly Sills.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Mayer and Selznick had two sons, Lewis Jeffrey (1932–1997) and Daniel Selznick (born 1936), both of whom became film producers.[10] Daniel married Susan Warms Dryfoos, daughter of Orvil E. Dryfoos.[11]
However, David O. Selznick's constant philandering and frequent financial problems as a result of a gambling addiction led to their growing apart, which resulted in her leaving Selznick in 1945.[6][12] Their divorce became final on January 22, 1949.[13]
She was a close friend of Katharine Hepburn for several decades, but distanced herself from her late in life.[14]
Death[edit]
Irene Mayer Selznick died on October 10, 1990, from complications from breast cancer at her apartment at The Pierre in Manhattan.[9] Her remains were returned to California, where she was interred next to her mother in the Mausoleum, Hall of Graciousness, Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.