Reg Grundy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reg Grundy
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Grundy on A Current Affair (2010)
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| Born |
Reginald Roy Grundy
4 August 1923 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| Died | 6 May 2016 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Occupation | Media mogul |
| Years active | 1947–2016 |
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Reginald Roy Grundy (born August 4, 1923 – died May 6, 2016) was an Australian businessman. He was known for creating and producing many popular television shows. He made famous Australian game shows like Blankety Blanks and Wheel of Fortune. Later, he also produced popular TV dramas and soap operas. These included Prisoner, The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters, and Neighbours. Neighbours was even added to the Logie Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Early Life and Army Service
Reginald Roy Grundy was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His birthday was August 4, 1923. His parents were Roy Grundy and Lillian Lees.
During World War II, Grundy served in the Australian Army. He was a Sergeant in Sydney. He joined the army in December 1941 and left in August 1946.
A Career in Television
Reg Grundy started his career in media in 1947. He worked as a sports commentator for a radio station in Sydney called 2SM. In 1957, while working at 2CH Sydney, he came up with the idea for the Wheel of Fortune game show for radio.
Two years later, the show moved to TV on Channel Nine. In 1960, he started his own company, Reg Grundy Enterprises. His company began making game shows for Australia and other countries. Later, in 1973, he started making drama shows too. He even helped produce ABBA: The Movie in 1977.
Popular TV Shows
The Grundy company created many successful TV shows. These included soap operas and drama series like:
- Class of '74
- The Restless Years
- The Young Doctors
- Prisoner
- Glenview High
- Sons and Daughters
- Neighbours
Reg Grundy was the first person to sell an Australian drama show to America (Prisoner). He was also the first to sell an Australian quiz show to the UK (Going for Gold). He then started a company in the US called Reg Grundy Productions. This company made popular game shows for American TV in the 1980s. Some of these were Sale of the Century and Scrabble.
Selling the Company
Grundy Worldwide Ltd, based in Bermuda, owned the Grundy Organisation. In 1995, Reg Grundy sold his company to Pearson PLC for $386 million. This company is now known as Fremantle. Reg Grundy also owned RG Capital, a company that invested in media. It had shares in several radio stations.
Photography Hobby
Reg Grundy loved wildlife photography throughout his life. In 2005, he published a book of his photos called The Wildlife of Reg Grundy. In 2009, he had an exhibition of his photos in Bermuda. The exhibition featured pictures of Bermuda Longtail birds and was called "Longtails: The Bermuda Dream".
Personal Life
Reg Grundy married Patricia Lola Powell in 1954. They had a daughter named Kim. After they divorced, he married actress and author Joy Chambers in 1971. They met at a TV audition in the 1960s. Joy was 18 and Reg was in his forties. They renewed their wedding vows several times. In 1982, Reg and Joy moved to Bermuda.
In 2015, Reg Grundy was listed as one of Australia's richest people. He had a wealth of $809 million. He wrote a book about his own life in 2010. He also owned a yacht named Boadicea, which he sold in 2009.
Death and Tributes
Reg Grundy passed away on May 6, 2016, at his home in Bermuda. His family was with him. The cause of his death was not shared publicly.
After he died, many people shared their respect for him. TV presenter Andrew Denton said that more Australians had watched Reg Grundy's TV shows than anyone else's. Actress Jackie Woodburne, who worked on Grundy shows like Neighbours, Prisoner, and The Young Doctors, called him a "true groundbreaker" in Australian television.
Tracy Grimshaw, who interviewed Grundy in 2010, said he was a "pioneer" in game shows and dramas. She noted that he avoided the spotlight and only gave one TV interview in his life. FremantleMedia, the company that bought Grundy Organisation, considered a way to honor him permanently.
Awards and Honours
Reg Grundy received several important awards and honours:
- He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1983.
- He became a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2008.
- He won the International Emmy Founders Award in 1996.
- He received the AFI Raymond Longford Award in 2010.
- In 2004, he was given an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Queensland.
In Popular Culture
In Australia, people sometimes use the terms "Reg Grundies", "Grundies", or "Reggies". This is rhyming slang for "undies" (which means underpants).
