Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Governorate of Congress Poland, a part of the Russian Empire (present-day Kudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania) to a Lithuanian-Jewish family, he was the second son and fifth child of Duvvid Schubart and Katrina Helwitz.

His father's alcoholism kept the family in difficult financial circumstances, and at a very young age Sam Shubert had to work as a shoeshine boy.

[citation needed] He eventually obtained a job at the Grand Opera House, selling programs and working in the box office.

After accepting the position of treasurer at the Wieting Theatre, the largest in the city of Syracuse, Shubert soon developed an interest in the production of plays.

"[5] In the early hours of May 11, 1905, Shubert was traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on business, when the passenger train he was on collided with several freight cars, including one containing dynamite, which exploded, in the Lochiel neighborhood of south Harrisburg.

[12] The Boston and New York City buildings still carry the Shubert name and continue as active theaters, with the latter being one of the great landmarks of Broadway.