Merv Griffin

Merv Griffin (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was the creator of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, as well as a talk show host, singer and star in several forms of media.

He broke through in 1950 as a singer, with the hit "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts", and later as a host of the show Play Your Hunch. By the 1960s, Griffin found success as a talk show host, and in 1964, he debuted the game show Jeopardy! When Jeopardy! was canceled, he replaced it with Wheel of Fortune in 1975.

Griffin also created other game shows, including Click, Ruckus, Monopoly and Merv Griffin's Crosswords.