- In order to light all the opera house chandeliers in Amadeus (1984), Zaentz contacted the Vatican's candlemaker, who agreed to supply the production with the thousands of candles necessary for the scene.
- As of 2018, holds the record (along with Sam Spiegel) of winning the Academy Award for Best Picture three times, for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984) and The English Patient (1996).
- Producing the Musical version of "Lord of the Rings" to open in London in the Spring of 2005. This will be the most expensive and complex stage show ever staged anywhere in the world. (March 2004)
- Former owner of Fantasy Records who used its profits to finance his films.
- Sold Fantasy Records to Concord Records. (2005)
- He wanted to produce film adaptations of the novels Night's Lies by Gesualdo Bufalino and Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee but the projects never came to fruition; the latter was subsequently made into a film by director Ciro Guerra [Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)].
- After the success of The English Patient (1996), Zaentz intended to collaborate further with Anthony Minghella on a screenplay written by Minghella called "The Seven Deadly Sins". The film's plot revolved around a man who knows his marriage has failed and feels suicidal, but is stopped by the seven deadly sins, who convince him to live life according to their passions. Zaentz was to have produced the film in partnership with the Jim Henson Co and Stanley Donen was signed to direct. Herbert Gold and Marshall Brickman were reported to be doing rewrites of the script at various stages but the film failed to make it into production.
- Uncle of Paul Zaentz.
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