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Photo of Joseph M. Schenck

Joseph M. Schenck

Producer
Born December 25, 1876Died October 22, 1961 (84 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Michael Schenck (/ˈskɛŋk/; December 25, 1876 – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive.

Schenck was born to a Jewish family in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia. He and his family – including younger brother Nicholas – emigrated to New York City in July 1892 under the name Ossip Schenker. Recognizing the potential, in 1909 the Schenck brothers purchased Palisades Amusement Park and afterward became participants in the fledgling motion picture industry in partnership with Marcus Loew, operating a chain of movie theaters.

In 1916, through his involvement in the film business, Joseph Schenck met and married Norma Talmadge, a top young star with Vitagraph Studios. He would be the first of her three husbands, but she was his only wife. Schenck supervised, controlled and nurtured her career in alliance with her mother. In 1917 the couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. They divorced in 1934; Schenck then built a home in Palm Springs, California.

After parting ways with his brother, Joseph Schenck moved to the West Coast where the future of the film industry seemed to lie. Within a few years Schenck was made the second president of the new United Artists.

In 1933 he partnered with Darryl F. Zanuck to create Twentieth Century Pictures that merged with Fox Film Corporation in 1935. As chairman of the new 20th Century Fox, he was one of the most powerful and influential people in the film business. Caught in a payoff scheme to buy peace with the militant unions, he was convicted of income tax evasion and spent time in prison before being granted a presidential pardon. Following his release, he returned to 20th Century Fox where he became infatuated with the unknown Marilyn Monroe, and played a key role in launching her career.

One of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 1952 he was given a special Academy Award in recognition of his contribution to the development of the film industry. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6757 Hollywood Blvd.

Schenck retired in 1957 and shortly afterward suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered. He died in Los Angeles in 1961 at the age of 84, and was interred in Maimonides Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • The General
  • Sherlock Jr.
  • Steamboat Bill, Jr.
  • Our Hospitality
  • One Week
  • Go West
  • Battling Butler

Known For

  • Sherlock Jr.
  • The General
  • Steamboat Bill, Jr.
  • Our Hospitality
  • One Week
  • Cops
  • Seven Chances
  • The Navigator
  • The Goat
  • Neighbors
  • The Play House
  • The Haunted House
  • The 'High Sign'
  • The Boat
  • Convict 13
  • The Paleface
  • The Balloonatic
  • The Electric House
  • Rain
  • The Blacksmith
  • College
  • Day Dreams
  • Three Ages
  • The Love Nest

Filmography

1936
1936
1935
1935
1934
Born to Be Bad · as Executive Producer
1934
1933
1933
1933
Hallelujah I'm a Bum · as Executive Producer
1933
1933
1932
Rain · as Executive Producer
1930
Reaching for the Moon · as Executive Producer
1930
1930
1930
1930
1930
1930
1930
Be Yourself! · as Executive Producer
1929
1929
1929
1928
1928
Tempest · as Executive Producer
1928
Steamboat Bill, Jr. · as Executive Producer
1927
1926
1926
1926
Battling Butler · as Executive Producer
1926
1925
1925
1925
1925
1924
The Navigator · as Executive Producer
1924
1923
1923
1923
1923
1923
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
The Primitive Lover · as Executive Producer
1922
1922
Smilin' Through · as Executive Producer
1922
1921
1921
1921
1921
1921
1920
1920
1920
1920
1919
1919
1918
1918
1918
1918
1918
1918
1917
1917
1917
1917
1917

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