Barney Balaban

[7] Balaban worked as a messenger boy and a cold storage company employee until 1908, when he was persuaded, at age 21, to go into the cinema business.

[8] Balaban enlisted the aid of an engineer friend to create a workable system, and crowds began to go to the movies to escape the heat during the summer months, making motion picture exhibition a year-round business.

On July 2, 1936, Paramount's directors elected Balaban president of the studio, succeeding John E. Otterson.

Balaban, the son of Bessarabian emigrants who had lived the American Dream, purchased one of the 14 original copies of the Bill of Rights from A.S.W.

[5] Balaban died, aged 83, on March 7, 1971, with funeral services held at Westchester Jewish Center, Mamaroneck, New York.

Balban appears in the season 2 episode "Hollywoodland" of the NBC series Timeless, portrayed by Josh Randall.