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The name Hobart Johnstone Whitley isn't one of the most well-known names in American history, but if you've ever watched a movie made in Hollywood, H.J. Whitley is the man you should thanks. The "Father of Hollywood," he is the person who made Hollywoodland the go-to Southern California destination for the movie industry.

A Canadian, Whitley was born and educated in Toronto. He made his money in the railroad and land development business. He arrived in Southern California in the 1880s in Los Angeles and began buying up property. He built the Hollywood Hotel in 1902, which later became the hot spot for silent movie stars and film moguls.

The hotel was also the setting of 1937 musical comedy Hollywood Hotel. The Kodak Theatre, the home of the Oscars, now stands on the spot where the original Hollywood Hotel did. It was Margaret "GiGi" Virginia Whitley, H.J. Whitley's wife who came up with the name "Hollywood" for her husband's development.

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At the end of the Victorian period, Whitley developed the exclusive neighborhood of Whitley Heights, which is now a historic district. Nowadays, Whitley Heights isn't as famous as Malibu, Melrose, or the Hollywood Hills, but back in the day, Whitley Heights was the most exclusive neighborhood in town.

All of the big celebrities lived there, including Rudolph Valentino, Barbara Stanwyck, W.C. Fields, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, William Powell. Tyrone Power, Ellen Pompeo, Gloria Swanson, Rosalind Russell, Judy Garland, and Marlene Dietrich. Whitley was the real estate mogul for early Hollywood and his home is still a big tourist spot.

For more info: about H.J. Whitley and how he helped build Hollywood, check out the book The Father of Hollywood and The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History.