Barney Balaban(1887-1971)

Barney Balaban is an American film executive who served as president of Paramount Pictures from 1936 to to 1964 and Chairman of the Board for Paramount from 1964 to 1966. His 28-year-run as president was the longest in Paramount history. Although his run at the studio ended in 1966 when Gulf-Western bought Paramount and its boss Charles Bluhdorn appointed himself Chairman, Balaban was an honorary chairman of the studio until his death in 1971. Prior to his work at Paramount, Balaban started the highly-successful Chicago movie theater chain Balaban and Katz with his brother A.J. Balaban and Sam Katz in 1916. By the mid-20s, Balaban and Katz boasted 125 theaters in Chicago and the surrounding area. Paramount bought the chain in 1926 but kept the Balabans as management. He married Tillie Urkov, and they had three children together: producer/director Burt Balaban, jazz musician Leonard "Red" Balaban, and actress/author Judy Balaban, who married studio executive and agent Jay Kanter.