Irene Mayer Selznick

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Irene Mayer Selznick (April 2, 1907 - October 10, 1990) was an American theatrical producer.

Born Irene Gladys Mayer in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of future MGM studio mogul, Louis B. Mayer and his first wife, Margaret Shenberg.

She was an adventurous young girl of considerable intellect who became a lifelong friend of actress Katharine Hepburn. Irene Mayer married David O. Selznick on April 29, 1930. They had two sons, Jeffrey and Daniel Selznick. Her husband came from an extremely dysfunctional but talented family and he was one of the few men who could stimulate her intellect. However, his constant philandering and frequent financial problems as a result of a gambling addiction led to their growing apart and she eventually left Selznick. Their divorce was finalized in January 1949.

Meanwhile, Irene Selznick moved to New York City where she pursued her love of the theatre. In 1947, she worked with playwright Tennessee Williams and director Elia Kazan and produced her first play, A Streetcar Named Desire. The play's success brought her a great deal of respect and she went on to produce four more plays, among them 1955's The Chalk Garden for which she received a Tony Award nomination.

Considered by her peers within the entertainment industry as one of the foremost historians of Hollywood and Broadway, in 1983 Irene M. Selznick published her autobiography A Private View.

Irene Mayer Selznick died in New York city in 1990 at 83 from breast cancer, a disease that disproportionately afflicts women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

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.

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