William Fox (producer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Fox
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William Fox in 1921
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| Born |
Vilmos Fuchs
January 1, 1879 Tolcsva, Kingdom of Hungary
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| Died | May 8, 1952 (aged 73) |
| Resting place | Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) |
Eva Leo
(m. 1899; |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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William Fox (born Wilhelm Fuchs; January 1, 1879 – May 8, 1952) was a Hungarian-American businessman. He started the Fox Film Corporation in 1915. He also created the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s. Even though he lost his movie businesses in 1930, his name lives on. It is still used by companies like Fox Corporation, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News, and Fox Sports.
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Early Life of William Fox
William Fox was born Vilmos Fuchs in Tolcsva, Hungary. His parents were Michael Fuchs and Hannah Fried. They were both Hungarian Jews. When William was nine months old, his family moved to the United States. They settled in New York City.
William was one of many children, but only six survived. As a young boy, he sold candy in Central Park. He also worked as a newsboy. Later, he worked in the fur and clothing business.
Starting in the Movie Business
In 1900, William Fox started his own company. He sold it in 1904. With the money, he bought his first nickelodeon. These were early movie theaters. William was more of a business person than a showman. He focused on buying and building many theaters.
He bought films from big movie companies. These included Biograph and Vitagraph. In 1910, he leased the New York Academy of Music. He turned it into a movie theater. He focused his business in New York and New Jersey.
Founding Fox Film Corporation
In 1914, Fox started buying films directly. He bought them from the Balboa Amusement Producing Company. He showed these films in his own theaters. Then, he rented them to other theaters.
On February 1, 1915, he created the Fox Film Corporation. He got money from banks and investors. The company's first film studio was in Fort Lee, New Jersey. This area was a hub for early film studios. With more money, he could make more movies. Between 1915 and 1919, his company made millions. This was thanks to their first big star, Theda Bara. She was known as "The Vamp."
Bringing Sound to Movies
In 1925 and 1926, William Fox made a big move. He bought rights to new sound technology. This included the Tri-Ergon system from Germany. He also used the work of Theodore Case. This helped him create the Fox Movietone system. This system put sound directly onto the film.
Movietone was launched in 1927. It was used for the movie Sunrise. Sound-on-film systems like Movietone became the new standard. Older systems, which used sound on separate records, soon became old-fashioned. From 1928 to 1964, Fox Movietone News was a major newsreel series. These were short news films shown in theaters.
Even though his film studio was in Hollywood, Fox stayed in New York. He knew his investors better than his movie makers. Actress Janet Gaynor said she barely knew him. She said he rarely visited the Hollywood studio.
Challenges and Changes for Fox
In 1929, William Fox tried to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This was a rival movie studio. He bought shares from Marcus Loew's family. But MGM studio bosses Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg were very upset. They did not own shares in the company.
Mayer used his strong political connections. He asked the government to stop Fox. They said Fox was breaking laws about fair competition. Around this time, in mid-1929, Fox was badly hurt in a car accident. While he was recovering, the stock market crashed in October 1929. This crash wiped out almost all his money. This ended any chance of him buying MGM.
William Fox lost control of his Fox Film Corporation in 1930. This was during a difficult takeover. In 1935, Fox Film Corporation merged with 20th Century Pictures. It became 20th Century-Fox. Later, it was renamed "20th Century Fox." After 2019, it became "20th Century Studios" when Walt Disney Company bought it.
William Fox never worked for the new company that carried his name. A mix of the stock market crash, his car accident, and government action led to many legal and financial challenges. He faced a long battle with bankruptcy. Later, he received a special pardon from U.S. President Harry Truman.
For many years, Fox felt that Wall Street had forced him out of his company. In 1933, he worked with writer Upton Sinclair. They wrote a book called Upton Sinclair Presents William Fox. In the book, Fox told his life story. He also shared his thoughts on what he believed was a big Wall Street plot against him.
William Fox passed away in 1952 at age 73. The film industry did not pay much attention to his death. No one from Hollywood attended his funeral. He is buried at Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn.
William Fox personally oversaw the building of many Fox Theatres. These were in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego. His companies were worth about $300,000,000. He personally owned 53 percent of Fox Film and 93 percent of the Fox Theaters.
Personal Life
William Fox was married to Eva Leo (1881–1962). They had two daughters together.
See also
In Spanish: William Fox (productor) para niños
