Lee Shubert
| Lee Shubert | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 25, 1871 Vladislavov, Russian Empire |
| Died | December 25, 1953 (aged 82) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | Lithuanian American |
| Occupation | Theatre owner/operator Theatrical producer |
Levi "Lee" Shubert (March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Jewish-Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family.
Born to Duvvid Schubart and Katrina Helwitzin in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Governorate of Congress Poland, a part of the Russian Empire (present-day Kudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania), Shubert was 11 years old when the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York, where a number of Jewish families from their hometown already were living. His father's alcoholism kept the family in difficult financial circumstances, and Lee Shubert went to work selling newspapers on a street corner. With borrowed money, he and younger brothers Sam and Jacob eventually embarked on a business venture that led to them to become the successful operators of several theaters in upstate New York.
The Shubert brothers decided to expand to the huge market in New York City, and at the end of March 1900 they leased the Herald Square Theatre at the corner of Broadway and 35th Street in Manhattan. Leaving younger brother Jacob at home to manage their existing theatres, Lee and Sam Shubert moved to New York City where they laid the foundations for what was to become the largest theatre empire in the 20th century, including the Winter Garden and Shubert Theatres.
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