Legendary business man and Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn was born in Warsaw in 1882, with the name Schmuel Gelbfisz. At age 15, after his father died, he left home, and when he emigrated to England, his name was anglicized to Samuel Goldfish. When, along with the famous theatrical Selwyn family, he formed Goldwyn Pictures in 1917, he liked the name so much that he legally changed his name to Samuel Goldwyn. He was instrumental in forming not one, but two of the largest Hollywood studios: Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was also a founding member of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers.