Years active 1908–1920 | Role Film producer Name Charles Baumann | |
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Full Name Charles O. Baumann Born January 20, 1874 ( 1874-01-20 ) New York City Occupation film studio executive, film producer Died July 18, 1931, New York City, New York, United States Similar People David Horsley, Jules Brulatour, Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Ronald Meyer | ||
Production company Universal Studios Organizations founded Universal Studios | ||
Charles O. Baumann (January 20, 1874 – July 18, 1931) was an American film producer, film studio executive, and a pioneer in the motion picture industry.
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Early life
Charles O. Baumann was born on January 20, 1874 into a Polish Jewish family in New York City.
Career
He was a partner in the Crescent Film Company formed in 1908 and in the Bison Life Motion Pictures production company formed in 1909. In 1912, he was a founder and the first president of Universal Film Manufacturing Company (now Universal Studios).
One of his most-successful companies was the The Keystone Film Company, the production unit headed by Mack Sennett, which produced the first films to feature Charlie Chaplin. Adam Kessel and Baumann's New York Motion Picture Company produced many films under a number of brand names, including Broncho, Domino and Kay-Bee. Other companies formed by Baumann include the 101 Bison Company and Reliance Motion Picture Corporation.
In the mid-1910s, Kessel and Baumann also branched into film distribution with their Mutual Film Corporation, which later was absorbed into Triangle Film Corporation. Baumann continued in production in the early 1920s as a partner in the Kessel-Baumann Picture Corporation production company.
Death
He died on July 18, 1931 in New York City.