George S. Kaufman (1928-2018), was the founder of Kaufman Astoria Studios, a film studio located in Astoria, Queens. In 1982, Kaufman, a Korean War veteran, took over the old movie studio lot that had fallen into disuse. The studio had originally opened in 1920 and had been used by the likes of the Marx Brothers. Over 120 silent and sound films were produced at the studio while it was home to Paramount Pictures until the 1940s when during WWII, it was used by the US military to produce films. Kaufman renamed it Kaufman Astoria Studios and transformed it into a full-service studio with more than 500,000 square feet of soundstages. The surrounding area was revitalized, becoming the Kaufman Arts District, and home to the Museum of the Moving Image. The studio was recognized by a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Many movies and television shows have been filmed on the lot, including Hair, The Wiz, Goodfellas, and Sesame Street. Kaufman was an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York and also served on the boards of a number of philanthropic and civil organizations, such as The Whitney Museum, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Exploring the Arts, and the Museum of the Moving Image. He was the Founding Chairman of the Fashion Center BID.