Born Schmuel Gelbfisz in Warsaw, Czarist Russia (now Poland). Penniless immigrant, whose name was changed to Samuel Goldfish by an immigration clerk, turned successful glove salesman who entered films in 1912, persuading his father-in-law, impressario Jesse L. Lasky, then a theatrical producer, to establish a production and distribution company. Together with C.B. De Mille as director, they formed the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company and scored a huge success with their first film, THE SQUAW MAN (1914). In 1916 they merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players, but infighting after the breakup of his marriage inspired Goldfish to leave and start afresh, forming the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, named for Goldfish and his partners, the Selwyn brothers. Goldfish liked the name so much he took it for his own. Goldwyn's policy of enlisting only the best available talent (Mabel Normand, Madge Kennedy and Will Rogers) and turning out only the finest product would become his legacy, a standard of excellence dubbed "the Goldwyn touch." But its most famous legacy, perhaps, was its "Leo the Lion" trademark (invented by Howard Dietz), adopted by its successor company, MGM. Two years after Goldwyn was forced out of power in 1922 his former company merged with Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions to form MGM. Undaunted, Goldwyn founded his own corporation, Samuel Goldwyn Inc., and this time steered a completely independent path, appointing neither studio bosses nor a board of directors. His films were initially distributed by United Artists and later by RKO. Notorious for his idosyncratic use -- or misuse -- of the English language ("Include me out," etc.), Goldwyn had a knack for finding the right property and talent. Among the stars he sought out and worked with were Ronald Colman, Vilma Banky, Eddie Cantor, Gary Cooper, Anna Sten, Will Rogers, David Niven and Merle Oberon. Goldwyn also recruited some of the finest writers in the business, including Sinclair Lewis, Ben Hecht, Lillian Hellman and Sidney Kingsley. He enjoyed his most fruitful relationship with William Wyler, who directed Goldwyn's most glittering productions, notably THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946). In 1925, he married actress Frances Howard (1903-1976), and they remained married until his death in 1974. Their son is producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. (b. 1926). Some notable "Goldwynisms" (some of which must be apocryphal): "Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union." "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." "In two words: im-possible." "My wife's hands are very beautiful. I'm going to have a bust made of them." "Anyone who would go to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined." "When you're a star, you have to take the bitter with the sour." "What we need now is some new, fresh clichés." [About producer Louis B. Mayer] "The reason so many people turned up at his funeral is that they wanted to make sure he was dead." "Every director bites the hand that lays the golden egg." "Too caustic? To hell with the costs, we'll make the picture anyway."  Nominated for Best Picture 1931: ARROWSMITH - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1936: DODSWORTH - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1937: DEAD END - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1939: WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1941: THE LITTLE FOXES - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1942: THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES - Producer  Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award 1946.  Best Picture 1946: THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES - Producer  Nominated for Best Picture 1947: THE BISHOP'S WIFE - Producer  Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1957. 8 nominations, 1 Award, 2 Honorary Awards