He might not have been crowned the King of Australian Television, but Reg Grundy (pictured) has today received Queen’s Birthday honours for his contribution to the entertainment industry.
Grundy, now 84, started in television hosting the original Wheel Of Fortune for Sydney’s TCN9 in the 1950s, though the program originally began on radio. He then went on to create his own television production empire, and went on to produce TV icons such as Neighbours, Sale Of The Century, Blankety Blanks, Prisoner (pictured), The Young Doctors and a remake of Wheel Of Fortune which ran for 25 years. Other titles from the Grundy stable included Class Of ’74/’75, The Restless Years, Moneymakers, Perfect Match, Sons And Daughters, The Price Is Right, Secret Valley and Chopper Squad.
Grundy also successfully grew the business by franchising program formats overseas – including selling US versions of Sale Of The Century and Prisoner to American television in the ’80s, and re-making some of its Australian soap dramas for European markets.
The company that Grundy started in the late ’50s was sold to the English-based Pearson Television in 1995, and is now part of the global Fremantle Media group. In more recent years, Grundy has embarked on photography, with a book The Wildlife Of Reg Grundy published in 2005. He is married to former Queensland TV personality Joy Chambers who was a regular on game shows including I’ve Got A Secret and The Celebrity Game, as well as guest appearances in Neighbours.
Also receiving Queen’s Birthday honours today was TV mogul Kerry Stokes, currently chairman of the Seven Network, and former TV presenter Paul Clitheroe (pictured) who presented the popular Money program for the Nine Network and received honours for his services to the finance industry.
Sources: Museum of Broadcast Communications, The Age, Business Spectator
Ahh but he’d already been given an even higher rating gong years ago when his name, Reg Grundy, was forever known as a nickname for men’s underwear 😛