Merv Griffin

Celebrity

Birth Name: Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr.
Birth Place: San Mateo, CA
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 07/06/1925, Cancer
Date of Death: 08/12/2007
Profession: Talk show host; game show host; game show creator; producer; singer; actor

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Merv Griffin Fast Facts:

First showbiz job was as a vocalist for the radio station KFRC in San Francisco.
His Songs by Merv Griffin (1946) was the first U.S. album produced on magnetic tape.
Paid Jack Warner $5,000 to terminate his Warner Bros. contract because he hated making movies.
Earned more than $70 million in royalties for writing the Jeopardy! theme.
Sold Merv Griffin Enterprises to Coca Cola's Columbia Pictures Television Unit for $250 million in 1986.
Expanded his business dealings to include real-estate acquisitions (he bought the famed Beverly Hilton Hotel in 1987) and racehorses.
Was a close friend of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and was an honorary pallbearer at the former president's 2004 funeral.
Received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2005; at the time, he had won 10 Daytime Emmys out of 32 nominations.
Died of prostate cancer in 2007; Arnold Schwarzenegger, who credited Griffin with helping to start his career, gave a eulogy at his funeral.

Merv Griffin Relationships:
Barbara Griffin Eyre - Sister
Anthony Patrick Griffin - Son
Mervyn Edward Griffin Sr. - Father
Rita Griffin - Mother
Julann Elizabeth Wright - Ex-wife
Merv Griffin Awards:
1971 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
1963 Emmy: Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program - Nominee
College:
San Mateo Junior College, San Mateo, CA