Biography

He was born into a rural Jewish family; his father, Jacob Zucker, who owned a grocery store, passed away when he was just one year old, and his mother, Hanna Liebermann, died when he was seven. Adolph and his brother, Arthur, moved to Mátészalka to live with their uncle, Kalman Liebermann, where they completed four years of primary education. At the age of 16, he decided to emigrate to the United States. On March 1, 1891, he set sail from Hamburg on the ship Rugia, arriving in New York on March 16, under the name Adolf Zucker.

Career

Zukor saw a film in 1893 and immediately sensed the great business opportunities it presented. In 1913, he secured financial backing from the Frohman brothers, influential theatrical impresarios in New York. His primary goal was to bring renowned stage actors to the silver screen. That year, Zukor produced The Prisoner of Zenda, which is considered one of the first major feature films in cinema history. By 1914, Zukor had assembled a team capable of producing 30 films a year, and he opened the Standard, a 3,500-seat movie palace on Broadway. He rented a barn on an orange farm in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where he set up the first studio. Soon, popular actors were flocking to him. From his "stable" emerged, during this period and the years of rising fame, stars like Douglas Fairbanks, John Barrymore, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Adolphe Menjou, Rudolph Valentino, Gary Cooper, and other living legends. In 1949, he received an Oscar for his lifetime achievements. His 100th birthday was celebrated with grand festivities. He is also recognized as one of the Hungarians who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.