Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show. He also created the internationally popular game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune through his television production companies, Merv Griffin Enterprises and Merv Griffin Entertainment.
You can find people similar to Merv Griffin by visiting our lists 20th-century American male singers and Transcendental Meditation exponents.
| Full name at birth | Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr.
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| Claim to fame | The Merv Griffin Show, Creator of Jeopardy
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| Date of birth | 6 July 1925
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| Place of birth | San Mateo, California, USA
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| Date of death | 12 August 2007
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| Age | 82 (age at death)
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| Place of death | Los Angeles, California, USA
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| Cause of death | Prostate cancer
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| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park, Westwood, California, USA
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| Occupation | Actor, talk show host, entertainer, business magnate
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PERSONAL DETAILS
| Height | 5' 9" (175 cm)
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pets
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ADDITIONAL DETAILS
| Net worth | $1,000,000,000 USD
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| High school | San Mateo High School
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| University | University of San Francisco
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talent agency
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![Merv Griffin - TV Guide Magazine Pictorial [United States] (16 August 1969)](http://img3.bdbphotos.com/images/130x130/s/r/sr5ylfnz6w7m7rzl.jpg?skj2io4l)
![Merv Griffin - TV Guide Magazine Cover [United States] (8 July 1972)](http://img3.bdbphotos.com/images/130x130/9/c/9cj2bpn4g5i64ibc.jpg?skj2io4l)
- His Griffin Group included film and television production; a luxury home development in La Quinta; closed-circuit coverage of horse racing across the county; a real estate brokerage specializing in high-end residential properties; and a stable of thoroughbreds that included Stevie Wonderboy, the 2005 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner at Belmont Park.
- Over the years, he bought and sold more than 20 hotels, gaming resorts and riverboats, including Resorts International in Atlantic City and the Bahamas.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger made his talk show debut in the United States on Merv's talk show in 1974.
- Not content with catering merely to the celebrity publicity mongers on his self-titled talk show, his unusually wide spectrum of guests ranged from superstars (Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Orson Welles Woody Allen and Richard Pryor) to the more controversial (Abbie Hoffman, Truman Capote, Gypsy Rose Lee and transsexual Christine Jorgensen), to the political mighty (Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King).
- KFRC billed him as "America's New Romantic Singing Star" in his early radio years. But at 5' 9" and 240 pounds, his romantic image on radio certainly did not fit his true look. After a female fan from Fresno dropped by the station to meet him in person and burst into laughter upon seeing him, Griffin went on a crash diet and dropped 80 pounds. Griffin would fight weight problems all his life. He admitted that he was a life-time smoker, ate whatever he wanted and hated to exercise.
More...
- Albums (7) keyboard_arrow_right
- Songs (29) keyboard_arrow_right
- Quotes (4) keyboard_arrow_right
- Trivia (9) keyboard_arrow_right
- Pictorials (3) keyboard_arrow_right
- Magazines (3) keyboard_arrow_right
- Photos (21) keyboard_arrow_right
- Lists (45) keyboard_arrow_right
- Filmography (324) keyboard_arrow_right
- Awards (20) keyboard_arrow_right
- Forum (3) keyboard_arrow_right
- Fans (7) keyboard_arrow_right
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