Merv Griffin (1925–2007)

Born: July 6, 1925 in San Mateo, California, USA
Died: August 12, 2007 (age 82) in Los Angeles, California, USA

Merv Griffin was a singer and band leader, movie actor, television personality and media mogul who in his time hosting The Merv Griffin Show (1962) was second in fame and influence as a talk show host only to Johnny Carson. Griffin was best known for creating the two most popular game shows in television syndication history, Wheel of Fortune (1983) and Jeopardy! (1984) that are watched by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. In the business world, he was identified as the visionary chairman of The Griffin Group.