Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 Sullivan in 1955 | |
| Born | Edward Vincent Sullivan September 28, 1901 |
| Died | October 13, 1974 (aged 73) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Television host, writer |
| Years active | 1932–1973 |
| Spouse | Sylvia (m. 1930–1973, her death) |
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host. He was best known as the presenter of the television variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The program was shown on television from 1948 to 1971 (twenty-three years). It was one of the longest-running variety shows in United States history.[1]
In 1996, Ed Sullivan was #50 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time".[2]
Early life
[change | change source]Sullivan was born in New York City, New York. His mother was Elizabeth F. Sullivan (née Smith) and his father was Peter Arthur Sullivan.[3] He was of Irish descent.[4] Sullivan used to be a boxer. He began his media work as a sportswriter for The New York Evening Graphic.[5]
Personal life
[change | change source]Sullivan was engaged to swimmer Sybil Bauer, but she died of cancer in 1927 at the age of 23.[6] He married Sylvia Weinstein on April 28, 1930. She died on March 16, 1973. They had a daughter, Betty Sullivan. Betty married the Ed Sullivan Show's producer, Bob Precht.
Sullivan reportedly called Sylvia after every program to hear what she thought about it.
Sullivan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard.
Death
[change | change source]In September 1974, Sullivan had x-rays done. They showed that Sullivan had esophageal cancer. Only his family was told about it. Because the doctors did not give Sullivan a lot of time, the family chose not to tell him about it. Sullivan thought that his illness was because of ulcers. He died five weeks later, on October 13, 1974, at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.[7] 3,000 people went to his funeral. It was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Ed Sullivan Bio on EdSullivan.com
- ↑ "Special Collectors' Issue: 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time". TV Guide (December 14-20). 1996.
- ↑ Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Company. 1953.
- ↑ Harris, Michael David (1968). Always on Sunday: Ed Sullivan: an Inside View. Meredith Press.
- ↑ Yagoda, Ben (1981), "The True Story of Bernarr Macfadden," American Heritage 33(1), December, 1981; reference used for this article was the online version,Ben Yagoda (December 1981). "The True Story of Bernarr Macfadden: Lives and Loves of the Father of the Confession Magazine". American Heritage. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ↑ Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Christian K.; Cayton, Andrew R. L. (2007). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. p. 901. ISBN 978-0-253-34886-9.
- ↑ "Ed Sullivan Dies Of Cancer At Age 72". Associated Press. October 14, 1974. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
... the Great Stone Face whose "really big shew" entertained millions of American television viewers on Sunday nights for more than two ...
[permanent dead link]
More reading
[change | change source]- Leonard, John, The Ed Sullivan Age Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, American Heritage, May/June 1997, Volume 48, Issue 3
- Nachman, Gerald, Ed Sullivan Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, December 18, 2006.
- Maguire, James, Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan, Billboard Books, 2006
- Bowles, Jerry, A Thousand Sundays: The Story of the Ed Sullivan Show, Putnam, 1980
- Barthelme, Donald, "And Now Let's Hear It for the Ed Sullivan Show!" in Guilty Pleasures, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974
Other websites
[change | change source]- Ed Sullivan on IMDb
- The Official Ed Sullivan Show Website
- About Ed Sullivan's life Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine