Y. Frank Freeman

Y. Frank Freeman
Paramount Pictures

Stars

Y. Frank Freeman
Film: North side of the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard
Executive
Born Dec. 14, 1890 in Greenville, GA
Died Feb. 5, 1969 in Good Samaritan Hospital, Calif.

Y. Frank Freeman reigned for two decades as head of Paramount Pictures.

A lifelong crusader against lewd films and books, Freeman retired from active studio management at Paramount in 1959 but continued until 1964 as chairman of the board of the Assn. of Motion Picture Producers.

Freeman got his start in entertainment when he closed his family's cotton business and turned to managing a theater in Fitzgerald, Ga., for his father-in-law.

"I liked theater work," he said later, "and decided to open a whole chain of them on my own."

Though a lifelong Democrat, Freeman was an active supporter of many Republicans. He actively opposed censorship in the moviemaking and publishing fields and served on county, state and federal committees that aimed at self-censorship.

He was awarded both the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and an honorary award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

— Ted Thackrey Jr. in the Los Angeles Times Feb. 6, 1969

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    Academy Awards

    Year Category Work
    1956 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Win
    1966 Honorary Award Win

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