Steve Dunleavy facts for kids

Stephen Francis Patrick Aloysius Dunleavy (21 January 1938 – 24 June 2019) was an Australian journalist based in the United States, best known as a columnist for the New York Post from 1976 to 2008. He was a lead reporter on the US tabloid television program A Current Affair in the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life and career

Born at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Dunleavy began his career in the city during 1953, as a copy boy for the Sydney Sun, where his father worked as a photographer.

Later he moved to The Daily Mirror, an evening newspaper (also in Sydney) which then was owned by Ezra Norton. He subsequently worked in Hong Kong for The South China Morning Post, and freelanced in Japan, India, Greece, Italy, Spain and England.

After a period at United Press International in London, he arrived in New York City on New Year's Eve, 1966 with $10 in his pocket.

Career in the United States

Dunleavy worked in the New York bureau of Rupert Murdoch's Australian newspapers. He joined the New York Post as a news reporter in 1977, not long after Murdoch purchased the newspaper. Journalist William Shawcross, in his biography of Murdoch, wrote that Dunleavy was "a good-looking, hard-drinking, womanising, roustabout swashbuckler with an astounding gift for turning dross into lively cliché, drear facts into purpled prose". According to Steve Cuozzo, Dunleavy (falsely) claimed in the preparation of one story that AIDS could be transmitted by kissing. When challenged, he responded: "Let’s not be too technical, mate – it’s a good yarn." Dunleavy was named metropolitan editor in 1980 and held that position until 1986.

Dunleavy was persuaded to transfer to the new Fox network in 1986, and was involved in creating the United States tabloid television format in the 1980s. He became a regular reporter for A Current Affair. The programme lasted from 1986 to 1995, after which Dunleavy returned to the New York Post as a columnist.

Books

In 1977, in association with three of Elvis Presley's former bodyguards, Dunleavy published the paperback Elvis: What Happened? (ISBN: 978-0345272157) which investigated Presley's life behind the scenes. It was published on 1 August, just two weeks before Presley's death on 16 August. This was the first book that focused on Presley's addiction to prescription drugs. Following Presley's death in August 1977, the book sold more than 1 million copies.

Retirement

After a 55-year career, Dunleavy retired with a celebration on 1 October 2008 that was attended by 400 colleagues and friends. Those who honored Dunleavy included News Corp chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch, Post editor-in-chief Col Allan, NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly, Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steve Cassidy and former A Current Affair host Maury Povich, accompanied by his wife, Connie Chung.

Personal life

His first wife was Yvonne Dunleavy, a fellow Australian and the ghostwriter of The Happy Hooker.

Dunleavy died at his home in Long Island, New York on June 24, 2019, at the age of 81. He was survived by his second wife, Gloria, and their sons, Peter and Sean.

Dunleavy was described in his London Times obituary as "Rupert Murdoch’s No 1 éminence grise". He "was one of the greatest reporters of all time", Murdoch himself commented in tribute. "His passing is the end of a great era."

Depiction

Dunleavy's personality was the model for actor Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Wayne Gale in Oliver Stone's film Natural Born Killers.