Harry Saltzman

Herschel Harry Saltzman October 27 1915 September 28 1994 was a Canadian theatre and film producer He is best remembered for coproducing the first nine of the James Bond film series with Albert R Broccoli He lived most of his life in Denham Buckinghamshire England Saltzman was born in a hospital in Sherbrooke Quebec the son of Jewish immigrants Abraham Saltzman and Dora Horstein He was raised in Saint John New Brunswick for the first seven years of his life His father a horticulturalist immigrated to the US in 1905 from Kozienice Poland then the Russian Empire marrying Dora in 1909 The couple moved to Canada in 1910 where their four oldest children Minnie Florence Harry and Isadore were born before moving the family to Cleveland Ohio where their youngest son David was born Harry ran away from home at the age of 15 Saltzman was 30 when he learned where he had actually been born At about age 17 Saltzman joined a circus and travelled with them for some years In 1932 Saltzman moved to Paris to study political science and economics However within a year he was handpicking talent for 40 twoaday vaudeville houses all over Europe Saltzman claimed that he had worked as an assistant for French film director René Clair who came to the United States in 1940 to make the film The Flame of New Orleans In 1942 Saltzman signed a booking contract with Fanchon Marco Enterprises Saltzman went to the West Coast to sign big picture names Saltzman sought the Ritz Brothers but due to film commitments they could not sign In 1943 Saltzman was managing The Gilbert Brothers Combined Circus According to an advert the 1943 season began 26 May in Clifton New Jersey and was booked solid through the Eastern American states until midOctober Shortly after World War II began he enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Vancouver He received a medical discharge in Trenton Ontario in 1943 and joined the US Psychological Warfare Bureau because he wanted to get back to Europe Saltzmann was initially stationed at the North African theatre in 1943 before being reassigned to London In 1945 Saltzman helped Lin Yutang establish UNESCOs film division which was initially focused on trying to mediate the Chinese Civil War between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang He eventually quit due to eastwest differences which to him seemed so hopeless Saltzman spent a year with the French governments Ministry of Reconstruction At that point he decided he wanted back in show business Source Article Harry Saltzman from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30