Lewis J. Selznick (
May 2, 1870 -
January 25, 1933) was a US
film producer.
Born
Lewis Zeleznik to an impoverished
Jewish family in
Kiev in what is now the
Ukraine, as a young boy he emigrated to
London, UK. He eventually moved to the
United States, settling in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he worked as a
jeweler.
Fascinated with the fledgling motion picture business, and recognizing a business opportunity with great potential, he made his way to
New York City, where he joined a film production company. In 1914 he founded
World Pictures Corporation, a film distribution company in
Fort Lee, New Jersey. He soon merged with the Peerless Pictures Studios and the
Shubert Brothers, Shubert Pictures Co. Selznick's company became very successful, in 1915 hiring
Sidney Olcott away from
Kalem Studios plus the French director
Maurice Tourneur away from the American arm of the giant,
Pathé. By 1916, personality conflicts with his partners saw him ousted from the firm by the Board of Directors.
Lewis Selznick continued in film on the
East Coast until 1920 when he moved to
Hollywood, California where he teamed up with
Adolph Zukor and
Jesse L. Lasky. However, within a few years his company, Lewis J. Selznick Production, Inc., experienced severe financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1925. He retired from the business and died in
Los Angeles, California in 1933.
With his wife of thirty-seven years, Florence Sachs, Lewis J. Selznick had four children. His son
Myron Selznick (1898-1944) would work as a producer and studio executive until establishing a successful talent agency. His other son,
David O. Selznick (1902-1965), became one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Lewis J. Selznick has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6412 Hollywood Blvd.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.
Selznick, Lewis J.