Jakob:
• Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1891.
• Moved to America in 1894 with his parents and younger brother at the age of 3.
• Lived in New York City from 1894-1901.
• Lived in Hillwood from 1901-1909 and 1929-1963.
• Lived in Los Angeles (specifically Hollywood) from 1909-1929.
• Was the first member of his family to graduate high school and attend college. He attended the University of California-Los Angeles and majored in Literature and Poetry. Eventually got his PhD in 1915 for Shakespearean Literature.
• Was exempted from service in WWI on account of a birth defect - a weak leg. Sometimes, he walked with the help of a cane.
• Married college sweetheart Amelia Sutter (1894-1927) in 1917. They have 2 children:
o Joseph K. Pataki (1918-1984)
Helga and Olga's grandfather.
o Mary A. Pataki (later Vazov) (1921-1995)
Became a prominent supporting actress in Hollywood films from the 1930s-1950s. Marries a Russian émigré actor/director. Her stage/screen name was Mary Day.
• Jakob took more after his mother and paternal grandparents. Unlike his father Kazmer and brother Adrian, both of whom were intellectual in their own way but oafish, slightly hot-tempered, and paranoid, Jakob was contemplative, deliberative, cool-headed, and kind. He always went out of his way to do things for others. His great-granddaughter, Olga, shares some similarities with him, although Jakob was hardly a perfectionist. His other great-granddaughter, Helga, also shares some similarities with him.
• Very fluent in several languages, including Hungarian, English, French, German, Russian, Italian, and Spanish.
• From 1913-1929, when he lived in Los Angeles, he was a prolific writer of screenplays for film and plays for the stage. He is known to have penned at least 100 film screenplays and 25 stage plays.
• When the Great Depression hit in 1929, Jakob lost his job, and moved back to Hillwood to teach theater courses in local schools. He remained in Hillwood for the rest of his life. His prolific experience in the arts and his activism in the theater helped establish Hillwood's artistic culture.
• Bought and moved into the present Pataki house in 1934.
• Although he officially retired from teaching in 1956, he remained active by writing essays, reviews, and scripts up until a few days before his death. He dies on June 24, 1963.