The M-G-M founder was Marcus Loew, a Jewish-American business magnate who founded the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1924. He had previously established a chain of vaudeville theaters and penny arcades, which he used to finance the studio. Loew was also involved in the production of films, and was responsible for the success of many of MGM's early productions. He died in 1927, but his legacy lives on in the form of the iconic MGM lion logo.