Joseph Breen
| Joseph Breen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joseph Ignatius Breen October 14, 1888 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 5, 1965 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Gesu Parish School Roman Catholic High School |
| Alma mater | Saint Joseph's College |
| Occupation | Film censor, journalist |
| Years active | 1934–1955 |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Dervin (m. 1914–65); his death |
| Children | 6 |
Joseph Ignatius Breen (October 14, 1888 – December 5, 1965) was an American film censor with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America who applied the Hays Code to film production.
Breen was the youngest of three sons born to Hugh A. and Mary Breen in Philadelphia. His father had emigrated from Ireland and met his mother Mary in New Jersey. Breen was raised in a strict Roman Catholic home and attended Gesu Parish School until the eighth grade. He then attended Boys Catholic High School. He attended and graduated from Saint Joseph's College, after which he worked as a newspaper reporter for fourteen years in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. After working as a reporter, Breen worked for the United States Foreign Service for four years, serving in Kingston, Jamaica and in Toronto.
Breen married Mary Dervin in February 1914, with whom he had six children.
Breen was a journalist and an influential layperson in the Roman Catholic community. Breen worked for Will H. Hays as a "troubleshooter" as early as 1931. He became "chief" of the Production Code Administration (PCA) in 1934. The 1933 foundation of the Catholic organization the National Legion of Decency (NLD), which rated films independently of the industry, put pressure on the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, which had theretofore enforced the motion picture industry's own self-censorship standards, albeit not very seriously.
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