born March 21, 1869, Chicago, Ill., U.S.
died July 22, 1932, Hollywood, Calif.
U.S. theatrical producer.
He worked as a publicist for Sandow the strongman before turning to theatrical management in 1896. His press releases promoting the French beauty Anna Held set a pattern of star-making publicity. In 1907 in New York City he produced the first of his Ziegfeld Follies , revue s that combined seminudity, pageantry, and comedy in a formula that he repeated successfully for 23 years. Under the slogan "Glorifying the American Girl," he made the revue an extravagant spectacle and developed stars such as Will Rogers and Fanny Brice . He also produced the hit musical Show Boat (1927).