Biography

Frank von Zerneck is an American television movie producer. He was born in New York City. It then moved to Los Angeles. It was worked as a theater producer in California, before heading on as a long-form television producer.

In the early 1970s, it partnered with producer Robert Greenwald, to set up Moonlight Productions. It was later sold to Filmways, before it was split in 1982 after the rename to Orion Pictures. He started its producing career in 1975 with The Desperate Miles for Universal Television. Throughout the years, Moonlight had produced several TV movies, like 21 Hours to Munich, The Babysitter, The First Time, Summer Fantasy and I Married a Centerfold.

In the early 1980s, he broke their ties with Robert Greenwald, which led that in 1985, renamed it from Moonlight Productions to Frank von Zerneck Films. He produced under his lifetime, he produced the mini-series Dress Grey, Romance on the Orient Express, Final Jeopardy and Combat High.

In 1986, former ABC employee Stu Samuels joined as partner of the company, renaming it to Von Zerneck/Samuels Productions. The duo both produced the mini-series Queenie, the unsuccessful pilots The Spirit and Sniff, and the long-form television movies Celebration Family, Proud Men, To Heal a Nation, Maybe Baby and Lady Mobster. Samuels later left to start out The Samuels Film Company in 1988.

In the early 1980s, Robert M. Sertner joined the company, who was a producer on most of made for TV movies made by von Zerneck himself. This led to Sertner joining as partner of the company, to fill the void by the departure of Samuels, and renamed it to Von Zerneck/Sertner Films. Together, they produced the most successful and critically acclaimed TV movies and mini-series in the world.

He is one of the most profiling long-form TV producers in the world on the #1 rated network programs, which included miniseries Category 7: The End of the World, and made-for-cable movies like For One Night.

Later on, he is one of the producers on the record shattering docudrama, The Pregnancy Pact, for Lifetime Television, and another record-breaking success Girl, Positive, and in 2010, von Zerneck and Sertner produced The Beauty and the Briefcase for ABC Family.

In 2010, Robert M. Sertner departed to start Bob Sertner Productions at ABC Studios, and in the meantime, von Zerneck himself renamed the production company back to Frank von Zerneck Films. They continued to produce made-for-TV movies and miniseries in the world, like Innocent for TNT, 12 Dates of Christmas for ABC Family and Left to Die for Lifetime Television.

More recently, he is one of the producers on Poisoned Love: The Stacey Castor Story for Lifetime Television.
- IMDb mini biography by: Frank von Zerneck

Son-in-law of Daniel P. Mannix.

Father, with Julie Mannix, of daughters Danielle von Zerneck and Kathy Hatfield, and son Francis von Zerneck.

Son of Peter von Zerneck.

Father-in-law of James Fearnley.