Isidore Ostrer (1889–1975) was a

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of property. Types of in ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as ''title'', which may be separated and held by diffe ...

, and film studio owner in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. His father, Nathan Ostrer, was a jewellery salesman who emigrated from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. In addition to assembling a media empire he wrote poetry and authored an economics text. Ostrer was born in London's East End. He began his career in the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

before establishing two

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

s with his brothers Mark and Maurice. They financed film industry businesses and Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British Film Company from its French parent

Gaumont Film Company Gaumont SA () is a French film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...

in 1922. He sold it to J. Arthur Rank in 1941. Ostrer also owned a newspaper (''

Sunday Referee The ''Sunday Referee'' was a Sunday newspaper in the United Kingdom, founded in 1877 as ''The Referee'', primarily covering sports news. History George Robert Sims, who was a popular journalist for The Referee, was approached by East End headmis ...

'') and textile business (Amalgamated Textiles). He moved to the U.S. during World War II. His daughter became actress

Pamela Mason Pamela Mason (10 March 1916 – 29 June 1996), also known as Pamela Kellino, was an English actress, author, and screenwriter, known for being the creative partner and first wife of English actor James Mason. Early life and personal life Born ...

Morgan Mason Alexander Morgan Mason (born June 26, 1955) is an American film producer, actor, and political operative. He was born to actors Pamela Mason and James Mason, and he is married to singer Belinda Carlisle. Early life Mason was born June 26, 1955, ...

is his grandson. His son was Vivian Kaye (Kiki)Osborne, ne Ostrer. He had two other daughters, Sheila Thompson and Diana Ostrer. A painting of Isidore Ostrer by

Howard Coster Howard Sydney Musgrave Coster (27 April 1885 – 17 November 1959) was a British photographer, opening a London studio in 1926. He was a self-styled 'Photographer of Men'. Collections After a childhood in the Isle of Wight, he was introduced t ...

is in the

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. Nigel Ostrer wrote ''The Ostrers and Gaumont British'', a book about the family and their involvement in the film studios.

References

{{Authority control 1889 births 1975 deaths Bankers from London