Merv Griffin was an American entertainer, writer, singer, game show host & creator and proprietor. He is best known for creation of two most popular game shows of all time Wheel of Fortune (1983) and Jeopardy! (1984). Griffin became more famous with the release of his talk show The Merv Griffin Show as a host in 1965. He was also posthumously inducted to Television Hall of fame in 2008.
Merv Griffin Biography and Net Worth
| Net Worth $1 Bn |
| Full Name Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. |
| Birth Date 6 July 1925 |
| Age 82 Years |
| Date of Death 12 August 2007 |
| Birthplace San Mateo, California, United States |
| Profession Musician, Writer, Producer, Host, Singer, Business Man, TV Personality |
| Zodiac Sign Cancer |
| Active Years 1944-2007 |
Merv Griffin Personal Life
Merv Griffin was born on 6 July 1925 in San Mateo, California, United States. His parents were stock broker Mervyn Edward Griffin Sr and a homemaker Rita Elizabeth Griffin. He has a sister named Barbara. Both of them used to play hangman during their family road trips. This inspired him to go towards making game shows. He studied at San Mateo High School, San Mateo Junior College and University of San Francisco. He was married to Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976. They have a son together named Tony Griffin. Merv belonged to the Republican Party.
Merv Griffin Career
As a teenager, he worked in church choir and as pianist. He rose to fame when Griffin wrote the 30 second music piece for Jeopardy! then called What’s the question heard during the show’s Final round. Before that he worked at a Radio station and also had his own talk show called The Merv Griffin Show that aired for 21 good years. He created several shows: Jeopardy!, Wheel of fortune, Dance fever, Monopoly. Ruckus, The Merv Griffin Show. He hosted most of them. His band was called The Merv Tones. His famous songs were “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”, “Christmas City”, “Wilhelmina”, “Never Been Kissed”, “The Charanga” (#69 om 1961, Pop Charts), “Banned in Boston” (#101 on 1961 Pop Charts), “Happy to Know You” (1973 Radio Hit), “Think!” (Theme music of Jeopardy!), and “Changing Keys” (Theme music of Wheel of Fortunes). In 2007, he produced game show Merv Griffin’s Crosswords. He also produced other shows: Let’s Play Post Office, One in a Million, Reach for the Stars, Word for Word and Play Your Hunch. He worked in numerous tv series and musical movies such as So This Is Love in 1953. Eventually, he entered into real estate business quitting media industry.
Merv Griffin Awards:
- won eleven Emmy Awards
- 1974- inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1998- dedicated Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs
- 2003- Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) President’s Award
- 2008-Inducted in Television Hall of fame
Merv Griffin Net Worth:
Merv Griffin has a net worth of approximately $1 billion estimated in the year 2007 at the time of his death. His main sources of income were royalties of game shows Wheel of fortune and Jeopardy; which he also hosted. He was involved into real estate business that he made millions from. His production company Merv Griffin Enterprises earned him a fortune especially upon selling it to Columbia Motion pictures-then a unit of The Coca-Cola company. He made $250 million from the deal. He owned several resorts and casinos i.e., Merv Griffin Givenchy Resort & Spa, and Paradise Island Resort and Casino. After the deal with Coca-Cola, he invested in the hotel business and his net worth eventually got into billions. Revenues generated from hosting, production, music work and spree of hotels & casinos were his basic sources of income.
Merv Griffin Death:
Griffin died on August 12, 2007 at the age of 82 due to prostate cancer. He took his last breath at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Merv Griffin Body Features:
| Height 5 ft 08 inch |
| Weight 86 kg |
| Eye Color Blue |
| Hair Color Gray |
