Famous Players Film Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | January 1, 1912 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Adolph Zukor, Frohman brothers |
| Defunct | 1916 |
| Fate | Merged with Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company to form Famous Players–Lasky Corporation |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Adolph Zukor |
| Products | Films |
The Famous Players Film Company was established in 1912 in New York City by Adolph Zukor together with the Frohman brothers, who were well-known theater proprietors and producers.
History
The company originated from conversations held at The Lambs theater club and promoted itself under the slogan "Famous Players in Famous Plays." Its inaugural release was the French motion picture Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth (1912), featuring Sarah Bernhardt. The first film produced internally was The Count of Monte Cristo (created in 1912, released in 1913), directed by Joseph A. Golden and Edwin S. Porter, with the lead role performed by stage actor James O'Neill.
In 1914, the company purchased a former cavalry facility located at 221 West 26th Street in Manhattan and transformed it into a significant production studio, which is presently known as Chelsea Television Studios.
Famous Players attracted leading Broadway performers including Marguerite Clark, William Farnum, Gaby Deslys, Hazel Dawn, and H. B. Warner, alongside film icon Mary Pickford and theater great John Barrymore making his screen debut. The firm produced a variety of films ranging from short subjects to full-length features.
By 1916, the company merged with the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, creating the Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, which later developed into Paramount Pictures.
Famous Players Fiction Studios
In 1915, the organization launched Famous Players Fiction Studios at 5300 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The studio's initial production starred Mary Pickford. Over time, the facility experienced multiple rebrandings, becoming Clune Studio, California Studio, Gross-Krasne Studios, Producers Studios Inc., and is currently known as Raleigh Studios. Raleigh Studios holds distinction for hosting productions such as Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, and Let's Make a Deal, ranking it among Hollywood’s longest-standing active studios.
See also
External links
- Army Pictorial Center, originally constructed in 1919 as Famous Players Studio, now incorporated into Kaufman Astoria Studios
- Articles with short description
- American companies established in 1912
- Entertainment companies established in 1912
- Mass media companies established in 1912
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1916
- Silent film studios
- Defunct American film studios
- Film studios in Southern California
- Defunct organizations based in Hollywood, Los Angeles
- Paramount Pictures
- Entertainment companies based in California
- Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
- Articles containing video clips
- 1912 establishments in New York City
- 1916 disestablishments in California
- Film production companies of the United States
- American companies disestablished in 1916
- Predecessors of Paramount Skydance