Griffin, Merv 1925–

(Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr.)

PERSONAL: Born July 6, 1925, in San Mateo, CA.; son of Mervyn Edward (a stockbroker) and Rita (Robinson) Griffin; married Julann Elizabeth Wright (a comedienne), May 18, 1958 (divorced, June, 1976); children: Anthony Patrick. Education: Attended San Mateo College, 1942–44.

ADDRESSES: Office—Merv Griffin Entertainment, 130 S. El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. E-mail—Ask_Merv@griffgroup.com.

CAREER: Businessperson, writer, actor, television producer, composer, singer, and bandleader. KFRC-Radio, San Francisco, CA, host of "Merv Griffin Show," 1945–48; vocalist with Freddy Martin's Orchestra, 1948–52; contract actor for Warner Brothers Studios, 1952–55; entertainer in night clubs and on television and radio programs, 1955–62; host of "Merv Griffin Show," National Broadcasting Co., 1962–63, Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., 1965–69, Columbia Broadcasting System, 1969–71, and Metro Media Productions, 1972–86; television performer, 1962–65; Merv Griffin Enterprises, Hollywood, CA, owner, creator and producer of television programs, including Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Dance Fever, 1963–86; Griffin Group, Beverly Hills, CA, founder and chairman, 1987–.

Business career has included ownership of numerous hotels, including Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA; Blue Moon Hotel, South Beach, Miami Beach, FL; Wickenburg Inn, Arizona; and currently Scottsdale Hilton, Arizona and Cleran's Manor House, Galway, Ireland. Also owner of Teleview Racing Patrol Inc., Miami, FL. Real estate developer, 2005–. Breeds racehorses.

Actor in films, theater and television, including roles in Cattle Town, 1952; By the Light of the Silvery Moon, 1953; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, 1953; So This Is Love, 1953; Three Sailors and A Girl, 1953; The Boy from Oklahoma, 1954; Phantom of the Rue Morgue, 1954; Finian's Rainbow (Broadway production), 1955; Saturday Prom (television series), 1960; One Trick Pony, 1980; Slapstick (Of Another Kind), 1982; The Funny Farm, 1983; Alice in Wonderland (television), 1985; and Murder at the Cannes Film Festival (television), 2000. Has also made numerous television appearances as himself and directed the television series Saturday Prom, 1960.

Composer of music for numerous television series, including Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, The All New Jeopardy!, and Super Jeopardy! Released numerous music recordings.

AWARDS, HONORS: Actor of the Year Award from Catholic Actors Guild, 1966; L.H.D. from Emerson College, 1981; Michael Landon Award, 1994; President's Award, BMI Film and TV Awards, 2003; honorary doctorate degree, National University of Ireland, 2005. Has won 17 Emmy awards for television work, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy, 2005. Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

WRITINGS:

(With Peter Barsocchini) Merv: An Autobiography, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1980.

(With Peter Barsocchini) From Where I Sit: Merv Griffin's Book of People, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1982.

(With Alex Trebek) The Jeopardy! Challenge: The Toughest Games from America's Greatest Quiz Show!; Featuring the Teen Tournament, the College Tournament, the Seniors Tournament, and the Tournament of Champions, HarperPerennial (New York, NY), 1992.

(With David Bender) Merv: Making the Good Life Last, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Credited as writer/creator for television series Jeopardy!, 1964; Wheel of Fortune, 1975; The All New Jeopardy!, 1978; Dance Fever, 1979; Jeopardy!, 1984; Super Jeopardy!, 1990; and Monopoly, 1990.

SIDELIGHTS: Television executive Merv Griffin achieved popularity as host of his own talk show for various networks beginning in the early 1960s. Also an accomplished musician, Griffin learned to play the piano at age four and was singing in a church choir by age ten. As a teenager he played the piano at local dances. His first professional job was at a San Francisco radio station, where his baritone voice was discovered by bandleader Freddy Martin. Griffin went on to make six records with Martin's band and eight on his own, including the albums A Tinkling Piano in the Next Apartment (released by MGM Records) and Merv Griffin's Dance Party! (released by Carlton).

In the early 1950s Griffin worked as a film extra at Warner Brothers and had a starring role in So This Is Love. In the mid to late 1950s Griffin sang in night clubs, made his stage debut in New York City in Finian's Rainbow, and appeared frequently on television and radio programs such as Look Up and Live, which he hosted in 1955, and Morning Show, where he was the guest of Robert Q. Lewis in 1956. In 1957 Griffin hosted the Miami-based television program Going Places. A year later the entertainer had his own radio program for American Broadcasting Companies.

Griffin's television fame began to grow in 1959 when he appeared on Play Your Hunch and later on the talk show Keep Talking. In 1962 the National Broadcasting Company chose him as the replacement for Jack Paar on the Tonight Show. Griffin went on to establish a career as a television host and personality before moving on to the business side and becoming a producer of successful television programs leading to numerous other businesses.

In 1980 Griffin published his memoirs as Merv: An Autobiography. The book, written with Peter Barsocchini, recalls Griffin's early life as well as his ascent to stardom. Some of the memorable events he discusses in the volume include dating actress Elizabeth Taylor, singing to deaf people on Broadway, and introducing singer Barbra Streisand to President John F. Kennedy. Dale Pollock wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Griffin "emerges as an affable, conscientious entertainer," and Washington Post contributor Christopher Schemering called Griffin's book a "sleek, carefully written autobiography … [that] displays the same smart, disarming charm that has always distinguished his show."

Griffin has remained active in his many pursuits long past the retirement age, leading to his second autobiography, titled Merv: Making the Good Life Last. The first half focuses on Griffin's career in entertainment and television, with the second detailing his business life. Although critics generally liked the book, most noted that Griffin talked far more about the famous and successful people he has known than about himself. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote, "The book's chatty style is reminiscent of a talk show, and beneath its light tone are suggestions of a complex, enthralling person." Writing for the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, John Smyntek wrote that the author "simply knows how to condense a good tale into three or four sentences." Syntek added, "Relentlessly optimistic, mean only to a few people … there are worse ways to spend an afternoon or evening." In a review in Booklist, Kathleen Hughes wrote, "A light read that fans of Merv Griffin or anyone interested in the entertainment industry as a whole will enjoy."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Griffin, Merv, with Peter Barsocchini, Merv: An Autobiography, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1980.

Griffin, Merv, with David Bender, Merv: Making the Good Life Last, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

PERIODICALS

America's Intelligence Wire, January 24, 2005, Greta Van Susteren, "Interview with Merv Griffin."

Book, March-April, 2003, Eric Wargo, review of Merv: Making the Good Life Last, p. 77.

Booklist, January 1, 2003, Kathleen Hughes, review of Merv: Making the Good Life Last, p. 804.

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, March 19, 2003, John Smyntek, review of Merv: Making the Good Life Last, p. 6564.

Los Angeles Times, September 11, 1980, Dale Pollock, review of Merv: An Autobiography.

PR Newswire, March 15, 2005, "Merv Griffin Establishes Griffin & Company, LLC: A Real Estate Investment Banking Firm."

Publishers Weekly, January 6, 2003, review of Merv: Making the Good Life Last, p. 55.

TV Guide, June 9, 2001, Hilary De Vries, "Simply Marvelous," interview with Merv Griffin.

Vanity Fair, June, 1998, Matt Tyrnauer, "'S Wonderful, 'S Mervlous," p. 202.

Washington Post, September 6, 1980, Christopher Schemering, review of Merv: An Autobiography.

ONLINE

Griffin Group, http://www.merv.com/ (December 21, 2005), biography of author.

Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/ (October 6, 2005), information on author's entertainment career.