Macleans
Bronfman Versus Hollywood
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on May 25, 1998. Partner content is not updated. Montreal's Bronfman family is no stranger to controversy. After arriving in Canada from Russia in the 1890s, they made a fortune outrunning federal tax collectors and selling whisky to American mobsters. The next generation made headlines tussling over control of the family firm, Seagram Co. Ltd.