Adolph Zukor
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Adolph Zukor (January 7, 1873–June 10, 1976) was the founder of Paramount Pictures Studios, and one of the greatest film moguls of all time.
He was born to a Jewish family in Ricse, Hungary, which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and immigrated to America in 1889, at the age of 16. He became involved in the motion picture industry when he began work at a theater in 1893. Starting as a floor sweeper, he worked his way up to film distributor. In 1912 Adolph Zukor established Famous Players as the American distribtion company for the French film production "Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth." The following year he obtained the financial backing of the Frohman brothers, the powerful New York City theatre impresarios. Their primary goal was to bring noted stage actors to the screen and they created the Famous Players Film Company that produced The Prisoner of Zenda in 1913. The studio evolved into Paramount Pictures, of which he served as president until 1936. He revolutionized the film industry by organizing production, distribution, and exhibition within a single company.
Zukor was also an accomplished director and producer. He retired from Paramount Studios in 1959 and thereafter assumed Chairman Emeritus status, a position he held up until his death at the age of 103 in Los Angeles, California, USA.