Frank Rosenfelt Frank E . Rosenfelt ( November 15 , 1921 – August 2 , 2007 ) was an American executive who served as CEO of Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer ( MGM ) studio under MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian from 1972 until 1982 . Additionally , Rosenfelt spearheaded the acquisition of United Artists by MGM in 1981 . Early life . Frank Rosenfelt was born in Brooklyn , New York , on November 15 , 1921 . He grew up in New York City . Rosenfelt enlisted in the U . S . military during World War II and fought at the Battle of the Bulge . He was wounded during the battle and received a Purple Heart . Rosenfelt returned to the United States after the war and attended Cornell University and the Cornell Law School . MGM Studio career . Rosenfelt joined RKO Studios in the studio ' s legal department for five years following his graduation from Cornell Law School . Rosenfelt left RKO in 1955 and joined MGM as an attorney the same year . He received a promotion to general counsel of MGM in 1969 . Rosenfelt oversaw a number of important MGM movies during the 1960s and 1970s including " 2001 : A Space Odyssey " ( 1968 ) and " The Sunshine Boys " ( 1975 ) . One of his most important MGM accomplishments was the acquisition of the movie rights for " Doctor Zhivago " ( 1965 ) , which was based on the book of the same name by Russian writer Boris Pasternak . The rights to " Dr . Zhivago " were owned at the time by producer Carlo Ponti . Rosenfelt was reportedly unsure whether writers in the Communist Soviet Union had the right to sell their own intellectual properties and writings . He hired an expert in Soviet law which discovered that Russia n writers did indeed retain their property rights . Following this discovery , Rosenfelt hired top Russian speaking literature scholars to translate " Dr . Zhivago " in a way that would not violate the terms of the contract . Financier Kirk Kerkorian purchased MGM in 1972 and offered Rosenfelt the position of president , chair and CEO of the studio . Rosenfelt accepted the Kerkorian ' s offer . Rosenfelt headed the MGM negotiations for Kerkorian ' s and MGM ' s $ 380 million purchase of United Artists studios from the Transamerica Corporation , an insurance corporation , in 1981 . United Artists was had recently suffered financial losses following the commercial and critical failure of its movie , " Heaven ' s Gate " ( 1980 ) . Rosenfelt stepped down as CEO of MGM in 1982 for personal reasons . He was replaced by Frank Rothman , who was also a lawyer . Rosenfelt was soon named the chief executive of United Artists . He later became vice chairman of the board of the combined MGM / UA , which required a move to London . Rosenfelt also set up his own independent consulting business . He served on board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1977 to 1985 . Rosenfelt was known for his close friendships with a large number of important movie stars , directors , and studio executive s during his Hollywood career . He counted comedian George Burns , actor Cary Grant , studio chief Sherry Lansing and film directors David Lean and Stanley Kubrick among his close friends . Death . Frank Rosenfelt died in Los Angeles , California , on Thursday , August 2 , 2007 , at the age of 85 . He was survived by his wife , Judith , a daughter and two sons . Rosenfelt was profiled on ABC ' s This Week with George Stephanopoulos " In Memoriam : Lives of Note " segment on August 12 , 2007 .