Bud Barsky

Biography

Born Isador J. Barsky in the Ukraine in 1891, Bud Barsky emigrated to the US as a young man, gained experience in the film business with various production companies in New York, made his way to Hollywood, and by the time he was in his 20s had already become an independent producer. His career was interrupted by military service in World War I, and upon his discharge he went to work for several production companies in the Midwest before heading to Hollywood again. He began Bud Barsky Productions in 1922, which produced comedies, westerns with such stars as Al Hoxie and short subjects. In 1926 he went to work for MGM as a unit manager, then was hired by Tiffany Productons as assistant general manager. He joined Columbia Pictures in 1930 as studio manager but left the next year to become an independent producer again, this time of comedy shorts, including ones with a group of chimpanzees he had purchased (he also rented them to MGM for that studio's Tarzan pictures). He worked at various studios in Hollywood in production capacities before branching out on his own again in 1936, with a contract to produce films for release by the independent Grand National Pictures. He died in Hollywood in 1967.