Film Producer. He was recognized as a 20th century Bessarabian-born American film producer. He produced films such as "King of Kings" in 1961; the Golden Globes Achievement Award recipient, "El Cid" in 1962; "55 days at Peking" in 1963; and "The Fall of the Roman Empire" and "Circus World" both in 1964. The three-hour long film, "The Fall of the Roman Empire" was a financial failure. Born Schmul Bronschtein, he was one of ten children of Abraham, a Jewish businessman, who fled to Paris in 1918 during the Russian Revolution. His career in the film industry began in Paris with him playing the flute in theaters as an accompaniment to silent films. With a little education at the Sorbonne and his street-wisdom, he used sheer determination to succeed in the film industry. For a short time, he was employed with the Paris unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios before coming to the United States in 1937 and becoming an independent film producer. With his own production company, Samuel Bronston Productions, his first two films were "Jack London" and "City Without Men" both in 1943. In the late 1940s, he became the official photographer for the Vatican, producing a few documentary films for the Chancellery of the Vatican. Although he had to deal with the dictatorship government of Francisco Franco, he relocated from Hollywood to Spain by 1959 to produce American films at a nominal cost, while building a grand studio complex. In 1964 after finishing "Circus World", Samuel Bronston Productions declared bankruptcy. Following giving evidence under oath about a banking account in Switzerland, he was charged and convicted of perjury by the United States District Court of New York. He appealed the conviction to the United States Supreme Court with the Bronston v. United States, 409 U.S. 352. The Supreme Court heard arguments on November 15, 1972 with the decision made on January 10, 1973 of an overturned conviction, yet the case set a major precedent on the crime of perjury. While fighting his legal ordeal, he made two films: "Savage Pampas" and "Dr. Coppelius," which were both produced mainly in Spain in 1966 without giving him credit; his last film, "Fort Saganne," was a French film in 1984. With his investors, who lost millions of dollars with the bankruptcy, being very prominent people, the legal action had badly impacted his professional career. As he aged, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dying from pneumonia related to that condition. He was nominated as Best Producer for the Laurel Award in 1962, 1963, and 1964. He was decorated by the Spanish government with the Order of Isabel La Catolica in 1963 and with the Insignia of Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He married and divorced Sarah and he was the father of five children. Sources credit him to being the nephew of the Russian Revolution leader, Leon Trotsky, whose original name was Lev Bronschtein.