Ossip Schencker (Russian:Осип Шенкер;Yiddish:יוסף שענקער) was born to aJewish family[2] inRybinsk,Yaroslavl Oblast,Russian Empire. He emigrated toNew York City on July 19, 1892, under the nameOssip Schenker;[3] and with his younger brotherNicholas eventually got into the entertainment business, operating concessions at New York'sFort George Amusement Park. Recognizing the potential, in 1909 the Schenck brothers purchasedPalisades Amusement Park and afterward became participants in the fledgling motion picture industry in partnership withMarcus Loew, operating a chain of movie theaters.
In 1916, through his involvement in the film business, Joseph Schenck met and marriedNorma Talmadge, a top young star withVitagraph 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.[4] In 1917, the couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. They divorced in 1934; Schenck then built a home inPalm Springs, California.[4][5]
After parting ways with his brother, Joseph Schenck moved to theWest Coast where the future of the film industry seemed to lie. Within a few years Schenck was made the second president of the newUnited Artists.[6]
In 1933, he partnered withDarryl F. Zanuck to formTwentieth Century Pictures to produce motion pictures forUnited Artists, until 20th Century merged withFox Film in 1935. As chairman of the new20th 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 militantunions, he was convicted of income tax evasion and spent time in prison. He was granted apresidential pardon by Harry Truman in 1945.[8] Following his release, he returned to 20th Century Fox where he became infatuated with the then unknownMarilyn Monroe, and played a key role in launching her career.[9]
Schenck retired in 1957 and shortly afterwards suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered. He died inLos Angeles, California, in 1961 at the age of 84, and was interred in Maimonides Cemetery inBrooklyn, New York.
