Hal B. Wallis

American film producer

Born: September 14, 1898 · Died: October 5, 1986

Famous Persons

Who was Hal B. Wallis?

Harold B. Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. Aaron Blum Wolowicz was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eva (née Ewa Blum) and Jacob Wolowicz/Wolovitz (Jankiel Wołowicz). featuring such film stars as Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Bette Davis, and Errol Flynn. Later on, for a long period, he was connected with Paramount Pictures and oversaw films featuring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Elvis Presley, and John Wayne. His parents were Ashkenazi Jews from the Suwałki region of Congress Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire and is now Poland. The future producer and his sisters eventually changed their surname to Wallis.

Historical significance

He is best known for producing Casablanca (1942), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), and True Grit (1969), along with many other major films for Warner Bros. As a producer, he received 19 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He was the youngest of three children and had two older sisters: Minna Wolovitz (1893–1986), a Hollywood talent agent, and Juel Wolovitz (1895–1953).

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Hal B. Wallis.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/hal-b-wallis/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

APA

Hal B. Wallis. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/hal-b-wallis/

Chicago

“Hal B. Wallis.” thisDay. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/hal-b-wallis/.

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