Samuel Goldwyn

A pioneer in the American independent film industry, Samuel Goldwyn emerged from the founding of both Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to establish his own company, Samuel Goldwyn Pictures, which produced such memorable movies as "Wuthering Heights" (1939), "The Little Foxes" (1941), "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1946) and the Oscar-winning "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946). A Polish immigrant who pulled himself out of poverty through skilled salesmanship and the occasional use of blunt negotiating force, Goldwyn's emphasis was bringing the best in movie entertainment to audiences. The result was a dedication to quality and talent that made him a major figure in mid-20th-century Hollywood, and a groundbreaker for a generation of independent producers that followed in his wake.