Sid Grauman
Sidney Patrick Grauman ( born March 17, 1879 in Indianapolis, Indiana, † March 5, 1950 in Beverly Hills, California ) was an American entrepreneur and film actor.
Life
Grauman's father, David Grauman, followed as other adventurous men in the train of the Klondike gold rush, the lure of getting rich, and therefore moved to Dawson City (Canada), where the young Sid spent his childhood and youth with his family.
Here he learned early on to think entrepreneurially, and himself remained still in Canada when his father moved back to the United States in the fall of 1899. Together with the likewise derived from the promoter Tex Rickard USA Grauman organized boxing matches for miners, and acquired by speculation and betting a lot of money. After almost two years that he had lived alone in Canada, Grauman end of 1900 returned back to the U.S. and settled in California.
A short time later Grauman saw in a movie theater in San Francisco, one of his first movies, and decided to invest in the movie. With his father Grauman acquired two theaters, The Unique and some years later, The Lyceum. But the earthquake of San Francisco, in April 1906, presented for the Graumans represents a major economic loss, as both houses were completely destroyed. Nevertheless Grauman invested more money and was in 1915 owner of some cinemas in northern California, as well as by a in New York City.
1917 moved to Los Angeles Grauman, where he built the one million U.S. dollars Theatre next year with a budget of one million U.S. dollars. The Egyptian, another theater, which was built with funds from Grauman, was opened in October 1922 and was the first movie premiere in Hollywood. His next project was to be his best-known construction. With the support of the U.S. government and with the help of the Republic of China was opened Grauman 's Chinese Theatre in May 1927. Today, it is one of the most visited places of Los Angeles. Also new was the tradition that Grauman established in April 1927 along with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, as they left their handprints in the wet cement in the sidewalk in front of the theater. Just one month later, in May 1927 Grauman was one of the 36 founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that is responsible for, among other things, for the annual Academy Awards ceremony today.
Although Grauman was mainly active as an entrepreneur, he was in his life and times as an actor before the camera, albeit in small supporting roles, including in this 1925 gold rush on the side of Charles Chaplin.
Little is known about the private lives of Sid Grauman. He was married at least once.
He died in March 1950, a few weeks before his 71st birthday at an arterial occlusion.