Unknown author · Public domain

Born Szmuel Gelbfisz in Poland, he arrived in America as a glove salesman before helping build the American film industry from its earliest days, producing the United States' first major motion picture and serving as a founding executive of several of Hollywood's studios. He worked independently as a producer for decades, and near the end of his career received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award — recognition spanning craft, philanthropy, and lifetime achievement.