Adolph Zukor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adolph Zukor
Zukor in 1922
Born	(1873-01-07)January 7, 1873 Ricse, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary
Died	June 10, 1976(1976-06-10) (aged 103) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film producer
Years active	1903–1959
Known for	One of the three founders of Paramount Pictures
Spouse(s)	Lottie Kaufman ​ (m. 1897⁠–⁠1956)​
Children	2
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Adolph Zukor (January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer. He is best known as one of the three people who started Paramount Pictures. Zukor helped create one of America's first long movies, called The Prisoner of Zenda, in 1913. He lived to be 103 years old.

Early Life and New Beginnings

Adolph Zukor was born in January 1873 in Ricse, a town in what was then the Kingdom of Hungary. His family was Jewish. His father died when he was only one year old. His mother passed away when he was seven.

Adolph and his brother Arthur went to live with their uncle, Kalman Liebermann. Their uncle was a rabbi and hoped they would become rabbis too. But Adolph chose a different path. He worked for three years in a dry goods store.

When he was 16, Zukor decided to move to the United States. He arrived in New York City in March 1891. Like many new immigrants, he started with small jobs. He first worked in an upholstery shop. Then, a friend helped him get a job as an apprentice at a furrier, a person who works with furs.

Zukor stayed in New York City for two years. By the time he was 20, he was a skilled fur designer. He started his own fur business in Chicago. His company, Zukor's Novelty Fur Company, grew quickly. By 1903, he was a very successful businessman. He lived in a nice apartment in New York City.

He later bought a large property in New City, New York. This property included a golf course and a swimming pool. Today, this estate is a private place called the Paramount Country Club.

Starting in the Film World

In 1903, Zukor entered the exciting world of movies. His cousin, Max Goldstein, asked him for money to invest in movie theaters. These theaters were started by Mitchell Mark in Buffalo, New York.

Zukor gave his cousin the money. He then partnered with Mark and a friend named Morris Kohn. Together, they opened a penny arcade called The Automatic Vaudeville Company in New York City. Penny arcades were places where people could watch short films or play games for a penny. They soon opened more locations in other cities.

Famous Players Film Company

In 1912, Adolph Zukor created the Famous Players Film Company. His goal was to show "Famous Players in Famous Plays." This meant bringing well-known stage actors to the movie screen. He first distributed a French film starring the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt.

The next year, he got financial help from the Frohman brothers, who were powerful theater owners in New York City. Zukor then produced The Prisoner of Zenda in 1913. This was an important step for long movies in America. He also bought an old armory building in Manhattan and turned it into Chelsea Studios. This movie studio is still used today.

In 1916, Zukor's company joined with Jesse L. Lasky's company. They formed a new company called Famous Players-Lasky.

Building Paramount Pictures

The Paramount Pictures Corporation was created to distribute films. It handled movies from Famous Players-Lasky and many smaller companies. Zukor brought these companies together. This helped create a system to distribute movies all over the country.

By 1917, Zukor had taken over many of his early partners. In 1919, his company bought 135 movie theaters in the Southern states. This was a big deal because it meant the company could make its own movies and show them in its own theaters. Zukor changed the film industry by controlling how movies were made, distributed, and shown.

Zukor believed in having famous actors. He signed many early stars, such as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, and Rudolph Valentino. With so many stars, Zukor also started "Block Booking" for Paramount Pictures. This meant that if a theater wanted to show a movie with a popular star, they also had to buy many other Paramount movies for the whole year. This system made Paramount very powerful in the 1920s and 1930s.

Zukor was the main reason for Paramount's success. He also built the Publix Theatres Corporation, a chain of almost 2000 movie screens. He ran two movie studios, one in New York and one in Hollywood, California.

In 1926, Zukor hired B. P. Schulberg, who was good at finding new talent. Schulberg ran the new West Coast operations. In 1927, Famous Players-Lasky changed its name to Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. By 1930, it became the Paramount Publix Corporation.

Zukor was making 60 movies a year. He made deals to show them in theaters owned by Loew's Incorporated. He also kept adding more theaters to his own chain. By 1920, he could charge what he wanted for renting films. He was the first to make it common for a movie distributor to charge theaters a percentage of the money they made from ticket sales.

Zukor was a visionary. He bought a huge piece of land in New York City to build the Paramount Theater and an office building. This 39-story building opened in 1926. He kept stars like Mary Pickford happy and under contract. Mary Pickford once told him she dreamed of making $20,000 a year before she turned 20. Zukor quickly made that happen, and soon paid her $100,000 a year. He said, "Mary was a terrific businessman."

Zukor was mostly a businessman. He didn't get involved in the small details of making movies like some other producers. He also invested early in radio. He bought a 50 percent share in the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1928, but sold it a few years later.

Paramount faced hard times during the Great Depression. In 1933, the company went through a difficult period. Zukor's big plans and spending had caused problems. But he was able to return as the head of production. He later became chairman of the board in 1936.

He spent most of his time in New York City. But he would visit Hollywood in the winter to check on his studio. He retired from Paramount Pictures in 1959. In 1964, he became Chairman Emeritus, a special title he held until he died. Adolph Zukor passed away in Los Angeles in June 1976, at the age of 103.

Family Life

Adolph Zukor married Lottie Kaufman in 1897. They had two children. Their son, Eugene J. Zukor, also became an executive at Paramount. Their daughter, Mildred Zukor Loew, married Arthur Loew, who was the son of Marcus Loew, another important figure in the movie industry.

Zukor died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles in June 1976. He is buried in the Temple Israel Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Movies He Produced

Zukor was a producer for many films. Here are some of them:

Movies He Acted In

Zukor also appeared in one movie as himself:

Images for kids

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  Zukor is honored with a dinner marking his 25 years in the film industry in 1936. From left: Frank Lloyd, Joseph M. Schenck, George Jessel, Zukor, Darryl F. Zanuck, Louis B. Mayer, and Jesse L. Lasky.

See also

In Spanish: Adolph Zukor para niños