Merv Adelson
Merv Adelson | |
|---|---|
| File:Mervyn Adelson.jpg Adelson in 1985 | |
| Born | Mervyn Lee Adelson October 23, 1929 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 2015 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1950–2015 |
| Known for | Co-founder of Lorimar Television |
| Spouses | Lori Kaufman (divorced)Gail Kenaston (divorced)
(m. 1986; div. 1992)Thea Nesis (divorced) |
| Children | 5, including Andrew and Gary |
Mervyn Lee Adelson (October 23, 1929 – September 8, 2015) was an American real estate developer and television producer who co-founded Lorimar Television.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Adelson was born to a Jewish family[1] in Los Angeles on October 23, 1929, to Nathan and Pearl Adelson (née Swartz). His parents were the children of immigrants from Russia who had settled in Nebraska. When he was a child, he worked in a grocery store run by his family.[2]
Career
[edit | edit source]In the 1950s Adelson established himself in Las Vegas where he first met Irwin Molasky and Moe Dalitz.[3] The trio were responsible for building the Las Vegas Country Club as well as what became Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.[3] Molasky and Adelson later opened Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in 1965. Adelson soon left the real estate industry and co-founded Lorimar Television with Molasky and Lee Rich in 1969.[4][5]
Personal life and death
[edit | edit source]Adelson was married and subsequently divorced four times. His first wife was Lori Kaufman with whom he had a daughter and two sons:[6] Ellen Adelson Ross, Andrew Adelson, and Gary Adelson.[7] His second wife was Gail Kenaston,[6] adopted daughter of silent film star Billie Dove.[8] His third wife was the television journalist Barbara Walters to whom he was married from 1986 to 1992. They met on a blind date in 1984.[9][2][10] His fourth wife was Thea Nesis[6] with whom he had adopted two daughters, Lexi and Ava Nesis.[7] All his marriages ended in divorce.[6]
Adelson died in Los Angeles, on September 8, 2015, from cancer, aged 85.[4]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Ed Koch, Desert Inn, Stardust chief helped integrate Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas Sun, September 1, 2008
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Los Angeles Times: "Gail Adelson; Hostess, Home Designer to the Stars" by Myrna Oliver February 22, 1999
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Merv Adelson at IMDb
- Merv Adelson at Find a GraveLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 1929 births
- 2015 deaths
- Television producers from California
- American film studio executives
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Businesspeople from Los Angeles
- Deaths from cancer in California
- American businesspeople in the real estate industry
- Adelson family
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American Jews
- 21st-century American Jews
- American television producers