Jan Murray

Jan Murray
Murray in 1961.
Born	Murray Janofsky (1916-10-04)October 4, 1916 New York City, New York, USA
Died	July 2, 2006(2006-07-02) (aged 89) Beverly Hills, California
Years active	1951-1989
Spouse(s)	Pearl Cohen (1939-?; divorced; 2 children) Kathleen (Toni) Mann (1949-2006; his death; 4 children)
Children	Howard, Warren, Diane, and Celia; 8 eight grandchildren and 2 great-grandsons

Jan Murray (October 4, 1916 - July 2, 2006) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and game show host who made his name on the Borscht Belt.

Early life

Murray was born Murray Janofsky in The Bronx borough of New York City. His interest in comedy began during his childhood, when he would often act out comedy routines he'd seen at the local theatre for his bedridden mother.

Career

Murray began performing on the vaudeville stage at the age of 18, then later at the Catskills resorts popular with Jewish vacationers. In the early 1950s, he became a Las Vegas marquee performer. He then moved into television to host a number of game shows such as Blind Date (DuMont, 1953), Dollar a Second (1953–1957), his creation Treasure Hunt (1956–1959), Charge Account (also known as The Jan Murray Show, 1960–1962), and Chain Letter (1966). He was later a frequent panelist on The Hollywood Squares and co-hosted the annual West Coast Chabad Lubavitch telethon for many years.^[1] He once appeared as himself on the NBC police sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You?, set in New York City.

Murray's film appearances included A Man Called Dagger, Of Love and Desire, Thunder Alley, Tarzan and the Great River, Which Way to the Front?, and History of the World, Part I. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and was a guest host of The Tonight Show on many occasions.

Personal life

Murray married Pearl Cohen in 1939, and had a child with her, but later divorced. In October 1949, he married Kathleen (Toni) Mann, had three children with her, and remained married to her until his death. Murray's production company, Jantone, took its name from their first names.

Murray was an ardent golfer and had many fellow comedian partners. Among them were Jack Carter, Jerry Lewis, Joey Bishop and others, from whom he created comedy routines often related at various golf charity events. He chaired the Comedians' Golf Classic for several years, held both in New York and California.

In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.^[2] Murray retired from show business at the age of 83, as he felt his asthma was affecting his timing. He died at the age of 89 in Beverly Hills, California, on July 2, 2006.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jan Murray.

• Jan Murray at the Internet Movie Database
• Jan Murray at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jan Murray at Find a Grave