Ted Nathanson
Ted Nathanson | |
---|---|
Born | Benedict Gimbel III 1925 |
Died | June 6, 1997 (age 72) |
Nationality | American |
Spouse | Edith Nathanson |
Children | Michael Nathanson Laura Nathanson Knobloch Carla Nathanson Hoffman |
Parent(s) | Benedict Gimbel Jr. Ethel S. Nathanson |
Family | Adam Gimbel (great-grandfather) Sally Phipps (step-mother) |
Edward "Ted" Nathanson (1925 – June 6, 1997) was an American television director.
Biography
Born Benedict Gimbel III to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, the son of Benedict Gimbel Jr. and the great-grandson of Adam Gimbel of the Gimbel Brothers retailing family.[1][2] He changed his name to Edward Nathanson (the surname of his mother) after his parents divorced.[1] (His father remarried in 1931 to actress Sally Phipps although they divorced in 1935).[3] During World War II, he volunteered for the American Field Service as an ambulance driver in Europe for Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery's Eighth Army.[1] After the war, he worked for CBS, ABC and then NBC where he directed the original Tonight Show and the Today Show.[2] He then became the coordinating producer of football and tennis for NBC Sports where he directed 13 consecutive Super Bowls, 21 consecutive Wimbledon tennis championships,[1] the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2] He also directed a wide variety of television shows including game shows, political conventions, and sporting events including major league baseball, boxing, college football, hockey, and golf.[1] He was one of the first to utilize hand-held and remote-controlled cameras.[1] He remained at NBC for 37 years.[1]
He was the first person to receive the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award for sports-related broadcasting.[1]
Personal life
He died on June 6, 1997 in Manhattan of lung cancer.[1] He was survived by his wife, Edith, a producer he met while working at ABC;[2] and three children, Michael Nathanson, Laura Nathanson Knobloch, and Carla Nathanson Hoffman.[1][4][5] All three of his children worked in the industry: Laura as Vice President at Fox Television; Carla with the David Letterman Show; and Michael as president of MGM Pictures.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sandomir, Richard (June 7, 1997). "Ted Nathanson, 72, Director Of NBC Sports and News Shows". New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e "Edward Nathanson". Variety. June 12, 1997.
- ^ Diliberto, Gioia (February 24, 2008). "The Flapper Doesn't Change Her Spots". New York Times.
- ^ "David Hoffman Wed To Carla Nathanson". New York Times. September 28, 1986. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ "Peter Knobloch Wed To Laura Nathanson". New York Times. February 5, 1989. Retrieved April 27, 2018.