Joseph Michael Schenck ( born Joseph Michael Sheinker ; December 25, 1878 , Rybinsk , Yaroslavl Province - October 22, 1961 , Los Angeles , California ) is an American film producer , a pioneer of the film industry, who played a key role in its development in the United States .
| Joseph Michael Schenk | |
|---|---|
| Joseph Michael Schenck | |
 | |
| Birth name | Joseph Mikhailovich Scheinker |
| Date of Birth | December 25, 1878 |
| Place of Birth | Rybinsk , Yaroslavl Province , Russian Empire |
| Date of death | October 22, 1961 (82 years old) |
| A place of death | Los Angeles , California , USA |
| Citizenship |  USA |
| Profession | film producer |
| Awards | Oscar |
| IMDb | |
Biography
Born December 25, 1878 in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Province of Russia (birth name - Joseph Mikhailovich Sheinker ), in the family of a Jew Chaim (Mikhail) - a clerk in the office of the Volga Shipping Company. Joseph and his family, including his younger brother Nicholas , emigrated to New York in 1893.
He, and then his brother, got into show business through the concession management of an entertainment park in Fort George ( state of New York ). Assessing the potential of this industry, the Schenk brothers acquired the amusement park Palisadis in in 1909 ", And began to participate in the emergence of the film industry as partners of Marcus Lowe , managing a network of cinemas. Thanks to the film business, in 1916, Joseph Schenk met and married Norma Tolmage , a silent film actress, one of the youngest stars in the Whitograph studio. He produced her films and was a financial adviser even after the divorce in 1934.
Having decided to work independently, Joseph Schenk moved to the west coast in 1917, where the future of the film industry lay. Since 1925, for several years, the talented and ambitious Schenck was the second president of the new film studio " United Artists ". In 1934, together with Derryl Zanuk, he founded the 20th Century Pictures company, which then merged with the Fox Film Corporation in 1935, forming the 20th Century Fox Corporation, whose first president was Joseph Schenck, becoming one of the most influential people in film business.
He was convicted of tax evasion and was in prison until he was pardoned. After his release, he returned to 20th Century Fox and fell in love with a young actress named Marilyn Monroe , playing a key role in her career development.
As one of the founders of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , in 1952 he received a special Oscar in recognition of his significant contribution to the development of the film industry; his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6757 square.
He retired in 1957 and soon after suffered a stroke , from which he did not fully recover. He died in Los Angeles on October 22, 1961 at the age of 82 and was buried in Maimonides Cemetery in Brooklyn , New York.