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Alexander Pantages | |
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Born | Periklis Alexandros Pandazis 1867 Andros, Greece |
Died | February 17, 1936 (aged 68–69) |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California 34°07′32″N 118°14′27″W / 34.125499°N 118.240807°W |
Occupation(s) | Vaudeville/film producer, impresario |
Known for | Pantages Theatres |
Alexander Pantages (Greek: Περικλῆς Ἀλέξανδρος Πανταζῆς, Periklis Alexandros Padazis; 1867 – February 17, 1936) was a Greek American vaudeville impresario and early motion picture producer. He created a large and powerful circuit of theatres across the Western United States and Canada.[1]
At the height of his empire, Pantages owned or operated 84 theatres across the United States and Canada. In 1929, he was accused of raping a 17-year-old dancer named Eunice Alice Pringle. He was found guilty but acquitted on appeal. The negative publicity led to the selling of his operations and he permanently ceased being a force in exhibition or vaudeville. He is largely forgotten today in historical accounts of the early development of motion pictures. He died in February 1936. [2]