Mervyn Lee Adelson (October 23, 1929 – September 8, 2015) was an American real estate developer and television producer who co-founded

Lorimar Television Lorimar Television, formerly Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969

Early life

Adelson was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on October 23, 1929 to Nathan and Pearl Adelson (née Swartz). His parents were the children of immigrants from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

who had settled in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. When he was a child, he worked in a grocery store run by his family.

Career

In the 1950s Adelson established himself in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

where he first met Irwin Molasky and

Moe Dalitz Morris Barney Dalitz (December 25, 1899 – August 31, 1989) was an American gangster, businessman, casino owner, and philanthropist. He was one of the major figures who shaped Las Vegas in the 20th century. He was often referred to as "Mr. Las ...

.Ed Koch
Desert Inn, Stardust chief helped integrate Las Vegas Strip
''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005 and is now ...

'', September 1, 2008 The trio were responsible for building the

Las Vegas Country Club The Las Vegas Country Club is a private membership club located in the Winchester area of metropolitan Las Vegas, Nevada. History It was built on the site of a 1950s horse and automobile racetrack named Las Vegas Park and later the Las Vegas Pa ...

as well as what became Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. Molasky and Adelson later opened

Omni La Costa Resort and Spa Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is a luxury resort hotel in Carlsbad, California. It opened in 1965. The resort is known for its golf courses; it commonly hosts professional golf and tennis tournaments. Tournaments at the resort were hosted starting i ...

in 1965. Adelson soon left the real estate industry and co-founded

Lorimar Television Lorimar Television, formerly Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969

with Molasky and

Lee Rich Lee Rich (December 19, 1918 – May 24, 2012) was an American film and television producer, who won the 1973 Outstanding Drama Series Emmy award for ''The Waltons'' as the producer. He is also known as the co-founder and former chairman of ...

in 1969.

Personal life and death

Adelson was married and subsequently divorced four times. His first wife was Lori Kaufman with whom he had a daughter and two sons: Ellen Adelson Ross, Andrew Adelson, and Gary Adelson. His second wife was Gail Kenaston, adopted daughter of silent film star

Billie Dove Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress. Early life and career Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...

. His third wife was the television journalist

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

to whom he was married from 1986 to 1992. They met on a blind date in 1984. His fourth wife was Thea Nesis with whom he had adopted two daughters, Lexi and Ava Nesis. All his marriages ended in divorce. Adelson died in

, on September 8, 2015, from cancer. He was 85.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adelson, Merv 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 real estate Adelson family 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American television producers