Goldwyn, Sam

Goldwyn was born Samuel Gelbfisz in the Warsaw ghetto, and by the time he was 11 he was an orphan. He emigrated first to England (1899) and then to the USA.

In 1913 he entered the fledgling film industry in Hollywood and rapidly became one of the most powerful men in the business. As a movie mogul he worked hard for a number of charities. In 1947 he became the only Hollywood producer to publicly condemn the witch-hunts US House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities under Senator Joseph McCarthy.

He received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun and the US Medal of Freedom.

References

Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1993-97
Freedland, Michael. The Goldwyn Touch: A Biography of Sam Goldwyn. (London: Harrap, 1986)
Easton, Carol. The Search for Sam Goldwyn: A Biography. (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1975)
Berg, A. Scott. Goldwyn: A Biography. (New York: Knopf, 1989)

Indexes

European
Poland
USA
19th Century
20th Century
Theater, Broadcasting, Cinema
School-age Years, Adolescence
Orphaned (Both Parents)
Parent(s) Died, Disappeared or Became Incapacitated