Ed Sullivan is best known as the host of the television programs The Ed Sullivan Show and The Toast of the Town. Both programs aired continuously from 1948 to 1971, spanning a total of twenty-three years, and together set a record as the longest-running variety programs in the history of American broadcasting.

Ed Sullivan was born Edward Vincent Sullivan on September 28, 1901, in Harlem, New York City. He was the son of customs inspector Peter Arthur Sullivan and Elizabeth F. Smith. His twin brother Daniel was born with health complications and died at the age of two. Sullivan graduated from Port Chester High School, where he distinguished himself as a gifted athlete, earning twelve athletic awards. He played halfback in football, guard in basketball, sprinted in track and field, and served as catcher and team captain on the baseball team, leading it to multiple championships.

Ed Sullivan began his professional career while still in high school, writing sports news for the local newspaper The Port Chester Daily Item, where he later worked full time after graduation. In 1919, he joined The Hartford Post, which ceased publication during his first week. He then worked as a sports reporter for The New York Evening Mail. After its closure in 1923, he held various reporting positions with organizations including Associated Press, Philadelphia Bulletin, The Morning World, The Morning Telegraph, The New York Bulletin, and The Leader. In 1927, he joined The New York Evening Graphic, first as a sports writer and later as sports editor.

In 1929, Ed Sullivan was appointed Broadway columnist for the New York Evening Graphic. He later moved to the city’s largest tabloid, New York Daily News, where his column “Little Old New York” focused on Broadway shows and entertainment gossip. During this period, he also delivered show-business news on radio, further expanding his influence in the entertainment world.

In 1933, Ed Sullivan wrote and starred in the film Mr. Broadway, which introduced nightclub audiences to entertainers and celebrities in New York. The project elevated his status, and he quickly became a powerful figure in the entertainment industry.

Throughout his broadcasting career, Ed Sullivan continued writing for the New York Daily News. In addition to journalism, he produced vaudeville shows in the 1920s and 1930s, hosted a radio program on the original WABC, and organized benefit concerts for various causes.

In 1941, Ed Sullivan became the host of Summer Silver Theater, a CBS variety program featuring a weekly guest star and conducted by Will Bradley. His most enduring legacy began in 1948 when he launched the television variety show Toast of the Town. In 1955, the program was renamed The Ed Sullivan Show. The show ran from 1948 to 1971 and remains the longest-running variety show in U.S. television history.

Through Ed Sullivan’s program, American audiences were introduced to emerging cultural movements long before specialized channels existed. He showcased rock bands before MTV, presented jazz, classical music, and theater performances before Bravo, and discovered and promoted young comedians well before platforms like The Tonight Show hosted by figures such as Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon.

In 1996, Ed Sullivan was ranked 50th on TV Guide magazine’s list of the “50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.” During the 1950s and 1960s, he was widely respected as a talent scout whose program launched the careers of countless performers. He invested heavily to ensure that his show remained a unique platform for discovering and promoting exceptional talent.

In 1964, Ed Sullivan appeared as himself in the film The Patsy, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis.

Ed Sullivan was once engaged to champion swimmer Sybil Bauer, who died of cancer in 1927 at the age of twenty-three. In 1926, he met Sylvia Weinstein, and they married on April 28, 1930. Eight months later, they welcomed their daughter, Elizabeth Sullivan.

The Sullivan family lived for many years at the Astor Hotel in Times Square before renting a suite at the Delmonico Hotel in 1944. Ed Sullivan later rented an adjacent suite as his office, which he used until the cancellation of his show in 1971. After each broadcast, he would call his wife to hear her critique. Sylvia Sullivan also served as his financial advisor.

In 1956, Ed Sullivan was involved in a serious automobile accident that resulted in broken ribs and the loss of several teeth. The Sullivans were frequent patrons of New York’s most famous clubs and restaurants, including Stork Club, Danny’s Hide-A-Way, and Jimmy Kelly’s. Their circle included celebrities, U.S. presidents, and even meetings with popes.

Sylvia Sullivan died on March 16, 1973, from an aortic rupture at Mount Sinai Hospital. Ed Sullivan himself passed away on October 13, 1974, in Manhattan, New York City, at the age of seventy-three, due to esophageal cancer.

Ed Sullivan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard, honoring his lasting impact on American television and popular culture.

Source: Biyografiler.com