Universal Pictures is a major American motion-picture studio. It is owned by Comcast Corporation.
The studio was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, who had formed the Independent Motion Picture Company of America in 1909. In 1914, Laemmle purchased a 230-acre (95-hectare) parcel of land in the San Fernando Valley, north of Hollywood , as a location to film his productions. The site became Universal City.
Universal’s biggest hits during the silent era were the horror classics The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), both starring Lon Chaney. In 1930, the studio earned its first Academy Award for best picture with the World War I (1914-1918) drama All Quiet on the Western Front.
During the 1930’s and early 1940’s, Universal was known for its “monster” movies: Dracula (1931), starring Bela Lugosi ; Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), starring Boris Karloff; The Invisible Man (1933), starring Claude Rains; and The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney, Jr. During the 1940’s and early 1950’s, the studio’s biggest hits were comedies featuring the slapstick duo Abbott and Costello.
Decca Records purchased Universal in 1952. Notable features of the Decca/Universal era include the romantic comedies Pillow Talk and Operation Petticoat (both 1959), the historical spectacle Spartacus and the thriller Psycho (both 1960), and the civil rights drama To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). In 1962, Universal merged with Music Corporation of America (MCA).
In 1975, Universal released the hugely popular shark thriller Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg. He went on to direct a number of other popular features for the studio, including E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List (both 1993).
Universal has changed ownership a number of times since the MCA merger. In 2004, the studio was purchased by General Electric . In 2013, it was acquired by Comcast Corporation.
