Maximilian Faktorowicz was a Polish cosmetician who emigrated to America in 1904, shortened his name to Max Factor, and began supplying theatrical makeup to the burgeoning Hollywood market. Max designed a new, thinner type of makeup for use in cinema, as traditional theatrical makeup was unsuitable for film. With this feather in his cap he quickly became an authority within the industry, and personally applied makeup to many of the greats of the early Hollywood era, including Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Max Factor himself died in 1938 but the company continued to go from strength to strength, eventually being sold to Proctor & Gamble in 1991 for the princely sum of $1.5 billion. Today, they supply a huge range of professional makeup, including foundation, lipstick, and the legendary Masterpiece mascara range.