Australian businessman (1923?2016)
Reg Grundy
|
---|
|
Born
| Reginald Roy Grundy
(
1923-08-04
)
4 August 1923
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Died
| 6 May 2016
(2016-05-06)
(aged 92)
|
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Alma mater
| University of Queensland
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Occupation
| Media mogul
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Years active
| 1941?2016
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Spouses
| -
Patricia Lola C Powell
(
m.
1954, divorced)
-
|
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Reginald Roy Grundy
AC
,
OBE
(4 August 1923 ? 6 May 2016) was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul, best known for his numerous television productions. He was the producer of various Australian game shows, such as
Blankety Blanks
(based on a Mark Goodson?Bill Todman production,
Match Game
) and
Wheel of Fortune
(based on the US
Merv Griffin
production of
the same name
) before later diversifying into soap operas and serials including
Prisoner
,
The Young Doctors
,
Sons and Daughters
and
Neighbours
, the last of which was inducted into the
Logie Hall of Fame
in 2005.
Early life
[
edit
]
Reginald Roy Grundy was born on 4 August 1923 in
Sydney
,
New South Wales
, to Roy Grundy and Lillian Lees.
[1]
[2]
Grundy served in the
Australian Army
during
World War II
as a Sergeant stationed in Sydney in the 1 Motor Division Signals. He enlisted in December 1941 and was discharged in August 1946.
[3]
Career
[
edit
]
Grundy started his media career as a boxing and general sports commentator for the Sydney radio station
2SM
in 1947.
[4]
While he was working at
2CH
Sydney in 1957, Grundy conceived and hosted the
Wheel of Fortune
game show on radio, which moved to
Channel Nine
two years later.
[1]
He founded his own production company
Reg Grundy Enterprises
in 1960, and began producing game shows for the Australian and overseas market, before eventually branching out into drama in 1973. In 1977, he co-produced
ABBA: The Movie
.
[5]
The company produced several successful television soap operas and drama series, including
Class of '74
,
The Restless Years
,
The Young Doctors
,
Prisoner
,
Glenview High
,
Sons and Daughters
and
Neighbours
.
[2]
Grundy was the first person to sell an Australian drama to America (
Prisoner
) and the first to sell an Australian quiz show to the UK (
Going for Gold
).
[2]
He subsequently started the US-based company
Reg Grundy Productions
, which produced the 1980s
NBC
daytime game shows
Sale of the Century
and
Scrabble
, as well as
Time Machine
for NBC,
Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
for
ABC
, and
Scattergories
(also for NBC).
[2]
The Grundy Organisation was ultimately owned by Grundy Worldwide Ltd, based in the
tax haven
of Bermuda.
[6]
In 1995, he sold the Grundy Organisation to the media and publishing company
Pearson PLC
, now
Fremantle
, for $386 million.
[7]
Grundy owned the private media investment company RG Capital, which had shares in several FM radio stations.
[7]
Grundy also had shares in WAM Capital,
Austereo
, Argus Solutions and Photon Group.
[8]
Photography
[
edit
]
Grundy had a lifelong passion for wildlife photography. He published a book of photographs in 2005,
The Wildlife of Reg Grundy
.
[9]
In June 2009, an exhibition of photographs of Bermuda Longtail birds by Grundy, "Longtails: The Bermuda Dream", opened in The Rick Faries Gallery at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.
[10]
[11]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Grundy married Patricia Lola Powell in 1954 and they had a daughter, Kim.
[12]
After Grundy and Powell divorced, he married the actress and author
Joy Chambers
in 1971.
[12]
The couple met at a television audition in the 1960s. Chambers was 18 and Grundy was in his forties.
[8]
They renewed their vows several times.
[8]
Grundy and Chambers moved to
Bermuda
in 1982. They remained married until his death; Chambers died on 17 September 2023, aged 76.
[13]
[14]
In 2015, the
Australian Financial Review
listed Grundy as Australia's 59th-richest individual, with an estimated wealth of $809 million.
[15]
Grundy published an eponymous autobiography in 2010.
[16]
He was the owner of a yacht named
Boadicea
, which was sold in 2009.
[17]
[18]
Death
[
edit
]
Grundy died on 6 May 2016 at his Bermuda home, with his family by his side. No cause was given.
[14]
[1]
After his death was announced, many tributes were paid to Grundy.
[19]
Presenter
Andrew Denton
commented, "I'm sure the record will show that more Australians have watched more hours of Reg Grundy television than that of any other individual."
[19]
While actress
Jackie Woodburne
, who worked on Grundy productions
Neighbours
,
Prisoner
and
The Young Doctors
, stated that "Reg was a true groundbreaker in Australian television in the [']70s and [']80s, and beyond[,] in light entertainment and drama."
[19]
Tracy Grimshaw
, who interviewed Grundy in 2010, said: "RG was a pioneer in game shows, in drama, in soapies. He was a star maker. But he totally rejected the limelight. He only gave one television interview in his life, and I was privileged and fascinated to be the one who spoke with him."
[19]
Grimshaw's interview with Grundy was rebroadcast during the 9 May edition of
A Current Affair
.
[1]
Ian Hogg, whose company bought Grundy Organisation, announced that FremantleMedia were thinking of a permanent way to honour Grundy.
[19]
Honours
[
edit
]
Grundy was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
in the
New Years Honours
of 1983.
[20]
He was appointed a
Companion of the Order of Australia
in the
Queen's Birthday Honours
of 2008.
[21]
[22]
He received the
International Emmy Founders Award
in 1996 and the
AFI Raymond Longford Award
in 2010.
[23]
In July 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by the
University of Queensland
.
[24]
Popular culture
[
edit
]
Colloquially, in Australia, "Reg Grundies", "Grundies" or "Reggies", is
rhyming slang
for "undies" (
underpants
).
[1]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Byrnes, Holly (9 May 2016).
"Australian TV legend Reg Grundy has died aged 92"
.
News.com.au
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Obituary Grundy. Reg Grundy, the man who put Australian TV on the world map, dies at 92"
.
The Sydney Morning Herald
. 9 May 2016
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"Australian Military Roll"
.
World War II Nominal Roll
. Department of Veterans' Affairs
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
Lodderhose, Diana (9 May 2016).
"Australian Media Mogul Reg Grundy Dies Age 92"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
Tartaglione, Nancy (9 May 2016).
"Reg Grundy Dies; Australian TV Mogul Behind 'Neighbours' Was 92"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
Cunningham, Stuart; Jacka, Elizabeth (15 April 1996).
Australian Television and International Mediascapes
. Cambridge University Press. p. 84.
ISBN
978-0-521-46974-6
.
- ^
a
b
Newcomb, Horace (3 February 2014).
Encyclopedia of Television
. Routledge. p. 1042.
ISBN
978-1-135-19472-7
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Grundys love being married ... over and over again"
.
news.com.au
. 3 December 2008
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"Life through Grundy's lens"
.
The Age
. 16 August 2005
. Retrieved
5 September
2009
.
- ^
"Longtails: The Bermuda Dream", Artist Reg Grundy AC OBE.
Archived
7 July 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art. Retrieved 5 September
- ^
"Fascination with Longtails"
.
The Royal Gazette
. 19 August 2009
. Retrieved
5 September
2009
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
Hayward, Anthony (9 May 2016).
"Reg Grundy obituary"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"Reg Grundy's Wife, Joy Chambers-Grundy Dies Early Morning"
.
- ^
a
b
Lagan, Sarah (9 May 2016).
"TV icon Reg Grundy dies"
.
The Royal Gazette
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"AFR Rich 200 list"
.
Australian Financial Review
. 2015
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
Reg Grundy (1 October 2010).
Reg Grundy
. Allen & Unwin.
ISBN
978-1-74266-253-4
.
- ^
Yachts Monaco Eye
- ^
Super Yacht Times
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Meade, Amanda (9 May 2016).
"Television greats pay tribute to Neighbours creator Reg Grundy"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"The Order of the British Empire ? Officer (Civil) (Imperial) (OBE) entry for Mr Reginald Roy GRUNDY"
.
Australian Honours Database
. Canberra, Australia:
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
. 31 December 1982
. Retrieved
8 October
2019
.
Television
- ^
"Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Mr Reg GRUNDY"
.
Australian Honours Database
. Canberra, Australia:
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
. 9 June 2008
. Retrieved
8 October
2019
.
For service to the entertainment and television industry as the creator and producer of television programs depicting national cultural identity, to the promotion of Australia internationally, and to the community through philanthropic contributions to a range of organisations.
- ^
"Aussies honoured on Queen's Birthday"
.
ABC News
. Retrieved
10 June
2008
.
- ^
"Reg Grundy to receive Raymond Longford award"
.
If Magazine
. 8 December 2010. Archived from
the original
on 23 February 2015
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
- ^
"Reg Grundy to address UQ Faculty of Arts grads"
.
University of Queensland
. 20 July 2004
. Retrieved
9 May
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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International
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National
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People
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