- Source of Wealth: Television, Music, Media
- Age: 94
- Birth Place: San Mateo, California, United States
- Marital Status: Divorced (Julann Wright)
- Full Name: Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr.
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: July 6, 1925
- Ethnicity: Irish
- Occupation: Actor, Talk Show Host, Entertainer, Businessman
- Education: San Mateo High School
- Children: 1 (Tony)
Merv Griffin bwas a US musician, actor, TV host and media mogul with a net worth of $1 billion. He started off his career in the radio, and from there, he went on to become a band member, after which he started acting in films.
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. was born on March 16, 1925 in San Mateo, Califirnia to Irish parents. His father was a stock broker and his mother was a home maker. He started singing initially as a member of the church choir and then later on, when he entered his teens, he was already earning his own money being a church organist. He was regarded as a piano prodigy and graduated from school in 1942. During the World War II, Merv failed at the physical examination test because of some physical constraints. Griffin however cleared the physical test during the Korean War, but had crossed the age limit of 26, and so was not allowed.
He started at a young age of 19 on the radio for the program “San Francisco Sketchbook”. He was quite overweight as a teenager and his fans were not quite happy with his image. Being extremely embarrassed with this public demoralisation, he shed 80 pounds in four months. Freddy Martin heard him once on radio and had asked him to accompany him in his tours with his orchestra. Merv did this for four years. He became extremely popular around 1945 with the nightclub crowd. It can be said that he was discovered by Doris Day. Griffin shot to fame and earned his wealth by hosting the popular program “The Merv Griffin Show”.
Griffin died due to prostate cancer at the age of 82.