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Isidore Ostrer

1889 – 1975

Financier and film producer

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About Isidore Ostrer

Lived 1889 – 1975 (aged 86). Isidore Ostrer was a businessperson, film producer, entrepreneur and writer.

Isidore Ostrer (1889–1975) was a banker, financier, poet, newspaper owner, and film studio owner in England. His father, Nathan Ostrer, was a jewellery salesman who emigrated from the Russian Empire. 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 before establishing two banks 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 in 1922. He sold it to J. Arthur Rank in 1941. Ostrer also owned a newspaper (Sunday Referee) and textile business (Amalgamated Textiles).

He moved to the U.S. during World War II. His daughter became actress Pamela Mason. Morgan Mason 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 is in the National Portrait Gallery.

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

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Important facts

People in Isidore Ostrer's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Isidore Ostrer's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Isidore Ostrer?

financier and film producer

When was Isidore Ostrer born?

Isidore Ostrer was born on 17 January 1889 in London.

When did Isidore Ostrer die?

Isidore Ostrer died on 17 January 1975.

What was Isidore Ostrer's occupation?

Isidore Ostrer was a businessperson, film producer, entrepreneur and writer.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Isidore Ostrer

· Wikidata: Q18529235

· DBpedia: Isidore Ostrer

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Isidore Ostrer. https://biography.guide/isidore-ostrer/

MLA: "Isidore Ostrer." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/isidore-ostrer/.

Chicago: "Isidore Ostrer." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/isidore-ostrer/.

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