Irving Thalberg's death in September 1936 from pneumonia, complicated by a congenital heart disease, sent a shock through the film industry. He was only 37, but he had been in the business since his late teens, when he went to work for Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures. By 1924 he was head of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which he helped make the most successful studio in Hollywood. To honor his memory, the Academy Board of Governors instituted an award to "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production." Darryl F. Zanuck became the first winner, and would go on to win it two more times. (The Academy has since changed the rules so that "no individual shall be eligible to receive the Thalberg Award more than once.")
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| Douglas Fairbanks, right, presents the first Irving G. Thalberg Award to Darryl F. Zanuck |
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