Joseph M. Schenck

Joseph Michael Schenck (/ˈskɛŋk/; December 25, 1878 – October 22, 1961) was an American film studio executive.

Life and career

Schenck was born in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia to Jewish parents. He and his family  – including younger brother Nicholas  – emigrated to New York City in 1893, he and Nicholas eventually got into the entertainment business operating concessions at New York's Fort George Amusement Park. Recognizing the potential, in 1909 the Schenck brothers purchased Palisades Amusement Park and after that became participants in the fledgling motion picture industry as partners with Marcus Loew, operating a chain of movie theaters.

In 1916, Through his involvement in the film business, Joseph Schenck met and married Norma Talmadge, a top young star with Vitagraph Studios. He would be the first of her three husbands, but she was his only wife. Schenk supervised, controlled and nurtured her career in alliance with her mother. In 1917, the couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. The couple divorced in 1934 and Schenck then built a home in Palm Springs, California.