Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (born July 6, 1925 in San Mateo , California , † August 12, 2007 in Los Angeles , California) was an American entertainer.
Life
Merv Griffin was born in the suburbs of San Francisco . He began his career at the age of 19 as a singer on the radio. As a teenager, Griffin was slightly overweight, which disappointed his fans, who only knew him from the radio, that they made fun of him. These reactions from his fans made him so concerned that he decided to reduce his weight and change his image. He toured with Freddy Martin's band for about four years . Griffin made enough money through his own record label Panda Records , which allowed him to finance his self-released album Songs by Merv Griffin . It was the first American album to be recorded on magnetic tape . His song I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts reached a # 1 spot in the United States in 1950.
Griffin became well known to the US public through his Merv Griffin Show . The show ran from 1962 to 1963 on NBC , 1965-1969 and again from 1972 to 1986 and on CBS from 1969 to 1972. In Europe, Griffin was the Wheel of Fortune telecast (Wheel of Fortune) and Jeopardy! known, which he had created in the original version for NBC . Both formats developed into the most successful game shows in television history.
In the 1980s, Griffin acquired the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills . He also bought the Resorts Hotel and Casino , formerly Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel, in Atlantic City from Donald Trump in 1988 .
Private life
Griffin was married to Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976 and had a son, Tony Griffin, with her. The marriage was divorced in 1976.
In July 2007, Griffin was again diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he believed to have been overcome by 1996. Griffin went to Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Hospital for treatment , where he died on August 12, 2007 at the age of 82.
Griffin's bisexuality was an open secret in the United States. In 1991, two lawsuits caused a stir: a moderator sued Griffin for "sexual harassment," and an assistant, a former unmarried partner, wanted maintenance payments of $ 200 million. Both trials failed. Immediately after Griffin's death, his bisexuality was discussed publicly for the first time.
Web links
- merv.com - Merv Griffin Entertainment
- Merv Griffin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ "Trouble about Merv Griffins Outing" (Queer.de, August 22, 2007)
- ↑ "Merv Griffin's Bodyguard of Lies" (truthdig, August 27, 2007; English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Griffin, Merv |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Griffin, Mervyn Edward junior (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American entertainer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 6, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Mateo , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 12, 2007 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |