Proctor's Theatre (Chelsea, Manhattan)

Frederick Freeman Proctor, the man who built this theater, did not start his career in real estate or show business management. He began as an equilibrist, a professional balancer who toured internationally under the stage name The Great Levantine. His signature act involved feats of physical balance, but he eventually pivoted to balancing business ledgers instead of spinning barrels. After moving to New York, he used his experience as a performer to build a massive chain of theaters that helped define the vaudeville era.