Merv Griffin

the entertainer turned impresario who parlayed his 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune' game shows into a multimillion- dollar empire

Merv Griffin, the genial host of the Emmy-Award winning The Merv Griffin Show for 24 years, has segued into the genial, hands-on owner of three luxury properties that comprise Merv Griffin Hotels, a unit of the multi-faceted umbrella company, The Griffin Group. Merv Griffin "came up through the ranks" in the classic sense, entering talent contests, writing songs and singing on a local radio station. As the boy singer with Freddy Martin and his orchestra, he toured throughout America, including the famed Coconut Grove, where he began his love affair with Hollywood. He also became a recording star with his classic hit, "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," as well as other hit songs, such as "Wilhelmina" and "Never Been Kissed." In 1986, Merv sold his production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, to Coca-Cola's Columbia Pictures Television unit for $250 million and a continuing share in the profits of the shows he created, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. Subsequently, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased Columbia. Under a series of contracts extending to the year 2000, Merv continued as Creator and Executive Producer of both shows. In 1987, Merv acquired his flagship hotel, The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. In addition, he owns the Hilton Scottsdale in Arizona and The St. Clerans Manor House in Ireland. After years of "living out of hotels", Merv cultivated a passion for the hospitality business, and arrived at his motto, "Bring the people in, entertain them and give them a reason to come back." Merv also appeared as a contract player for Warner Bros. in a number of box-office winners, such as So This Is Love with Kathryn Grayson and The Boy from Oklahoma with Will Rogers Jr. and Lon Chaney. He hosted his first television show in 1958, called Play Your Hunch, which led to Word for Word in 1963. Merv then created Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, which remain the two most popular shows in television syndication history, viewed by millions everyday around the world. Through Merv Griffin Entertainment, Merv continues to develop and produce feature films, television movies and game shows. Other units of The Merv Griffin Group include Merv Griffin Productions, which organizes special events, awards shows, movie premieres and more. Most recently, Merv brought to television an updated version of Dance Fever, the popular dance show from the ?0s. Merv has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 1994, along with Diane Sawyer and Dan Rather. In addition to his 15 Emmy Awards for The Merv Griffin Show, he was presented with an "Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show" Emmy for 1993-94 as Executive Producer of Jeopardy!. He has been honored by the American Ireland Fund, and has received the American Friends of Hebrew University's Scopus Award and the John Wayne Cancer Fund's Duke Award. His biography, Merv: Making The Good Life Last, continues to be a bestseller. Source: omnitv.ca