Ok regarding his personal life, so far Ive found he was married three times, and had two daughters, one being Linda Miller, who is an actress and had three kids, one being actor Jason Patric. But this is the only information I have been able to find.
Because Linda is not super famous, and Jason lives a private life, it is hard to find any good info on them. Now normally I respect peoples privacy, but I realy need this for my essay.
Can anyone tell me ANYTHING, anything at all about Gleasons wives, children, grandchildren or anything? Even if it is small info, its something.
Thank you for your help. =) Date of Birth
26 February 1916, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Date of Death
24 June 1987, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. (colon and liver cancer)
Birth Name
Herbert John Gleason
Nickname
"The Great One"
"The Abdominal Showman"
"Mr. Miami Beach"
Height
5' 11陆" (1.82 m)
Mini Biography
Comedian, actor, composer and conductor, educated in New York public schools. He was a master of ceremonies in amateur shows, a carnival barker, daredevil driver and a disc jockey., and later a comedian in night clubs. By the mid-1950s he had turned to writing original music and recording a series of popular and best-selling albums with his orchestra for Capitol Records. Joining ASCAP in 1953, his instrumental compositions include "Melancholy Serenade", "Glamour", "Lover's Rhapsody", "On the Beach" and "To a Sleeping Beauty", among numerous others.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Hup234!
Spouse
Marilyn Gleason (16 December 1975 - 24 June 1987) (his death)
Beverly McKittrick (July 1970 - 24 November 1975) (divorced)
Genevieve Halford (20 September 1936 - June 1970) (divorced) 2 children
Trivia
He designed his own fantastic round house that was built in Peekskill, New York, in the 1950s and remains a modern marvel. The precious wood interior took special crafting by Swedish carpenters who were brought to the U.S. for a year to work on the house. It contained a basement disco and one of the very first in-home video projection systems. Despite the enormous cost, the Gleason dream house long suffered from a leaky wooden roof.
He was legendary for his dislike of rehearsal, even in the early days of live TV. Yet he was equally renowned for his total mastery and control over each production detail and insisted on the show credit: "Entire Production Supervised by Jackie Gleason."
Prone to excess with wine, women, song and work, a lifestyle which often led to exhaustion. In such cases, he would check into a hospital for some needed rest. But one famous story has it, when Gleason really felt "sick", he checked himself OUT of the hospital, and went home to be taken care of!
Despite his iconic stature as a TV-comedy giant, Gleason never won an Emmy.
Grandfather of actor Jason Patric.
Eponym of the Jackie Gleason (formerly 5th Avenue) Bus Depot in Brooklyn, New York.
Had an interest in the occult as well as an extensive collection of books on the paranormal.
Buried in Miami. His grave site is all that one would expect. Engraved in the "riser" of the second step from the top is the classic, "AND AWAY WE GO".
Father of actress Linda Miller.
On January 20, 1960, a game show he co-developed, "You're In the Picture" (1960), premiered on CBS. The premise was to have celebrity guests place their heads into a cutout scene and ask the host questions as to guess what picture or historical scene they were in. The show's concept was ill-conceived, especially for co-creator and host Gleason, and was blasted by critics and viewers alike. On the next week's broadcast Gleason apologized to the viewers, saying, "Honesty is the best policy. We had a show last week that laid the biggest bomb! I've seen bombs in my day, but this one made the H-bomb look like a two-inch salute." The time slot was filled with a variety program; "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1961).
Recorded a number of albums featuring instrumental "mood music" (what is now known today as "lounge music"). Gleason served as producer, band-leader, and (on occasion) vibraphone player, despite the fact that he couldn't read sheet music. Several of the albums included original compositions by Gleason. One album, "Lonesome Echo", topped the charts in 1955, and featured an album cover with original art by Salvador Dal铆.
Once said that Orson Welles bestowed his "The Great One" nickname upon him.
The set of "The Honeymooners" (1955) show was based on Jackie's childhood home on Chauncey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant (originally Bushwick) area of Brooklyn, New York. The apartment building is still there and looks very much the same as in Jackie's time.
On August 2000, cable television station TvLand unveiled an eight-foot bronze statue of Gleason as Ralph Kramden. The statue was placed in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
There were plans to reunite him with Art Carney for Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). They were to play two men who would be stationed on top of a Ferris Wheel. However, Gleason's representatives informed the producers that he would not perform with Carney.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 180-183. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, 1986.
Did not like working with young children.
Won Broadway's 1960 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Take Me Along" over his two also-nominated co-stars, Walter Pidgeon and Robert Morse .
He was not only a boxer and carnival barker in his early years, but also a pool hustler. Interestingly, he went on to play Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone Jr.) in The Hustler (1961) with Paul Newman.
Is portrayed by Brad Garrett in Gleason (2002) (TV) and by Sean Cullen in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV)
The Miami Beach Auditorium was re-named the Jackie Gleason Theater and is located on 17th Street and Washington Avenue on South Beach.
"The Jackie Gleason Show" (1961) helped propel the tourist industry in Miami Beach in the early & mid 1960s.
Was a mentor and frequent drinking buddy of Frank Sinatra. It was Gleason who first introduced Sinatra to Jack Daniels whiskey, which became Sinatra's signature drink.
His family background was, according to most accounts, almost Dickensian. It was marked by severe illness and grinding poverty, in any event. His father, Herb Gleason, was a henpecked insurance clerk who took his myriad disappointments in life out in drink. He deserted the family when Jackie was nine and died sometime in the late 1940s. His mother, the former Mae Kelly, was a superstitious, quarrelsome woman, overprotective of her younger son, who died when Jackie was in his teens. An older brother, Clemence, was a wan, sickly lad who died, probably of tuberculosis, at the age of fourteen, when Jackie was three.
In the 1930s, before he ever really made it even in smalltime venues, he was a bartender at a bar in Newark, New Jersey, called the Blue Mirror. He wore his apron high on the chest just like he did as his "Joe the Bartender" character 30 years later on his television show, and he entertained the patrons with his antics, just like "Joe the Bartender." Eventually, he got such a following that the owner gave him a chance at the microphone on stage. The rest, as they say, is history. This was also a time when he actually lived and slept in the back room with the empty bottles, etc. And, of course, it was across the street from a pool hall that he patronized in the afternoons after he was finished cleaning up the Blue Mirror.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 328-331. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
Personal Quotes
Drinking removes warts and pimples. Not from me. But from those I look at.
[trademark line] How sweet it is!"
I'm no alcoholic. I'm a drunkard. There's a difference. A drunkard doesn't like to go to meetings.
The worst thing you can do with money is save it.
[on what inspired him to became a "mood music" legend, via a series of successful albums] Every time I ever watched Clark Gable do a love scene in the movies, I'd hear this really pretty music, real romantic, come up behind him and help set the mood. So I'm figuring that if Gable needs that kinda help, then a guy in Canarsie has gotta be dyin' for something like this.
I have no use for humility. I am a fellow with an exceptional talent.
Salary
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) $1,200,000
"The Jackie Gleason Show" (1966) $50,000/week
The Fabulous Fifties (1960) $50,000
"Cavalcade of Stars" (1949) $750/week
Springtime in the Rockies (1942) $250/week
Orchestra Wives (1942) $250/week
Larceny, Inc. (1942) $250/week
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1942) $250/week
All Through the Night (1941) $250/week
Navy Blues (1941) $250/week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
and this is an interesting article I found about him and UFOs:
Well folk, I am just tickled pink to present this one !This article deals with the ole folklore of Jackie Gleason and President Nixon, who were not only supposedly good buddies but UFO believers as well. This one gets me because I remember not only the Honeymooners as a kid but also the Jackie Gleason Show in later years. Maybe UFOs had always played a part in the Great One's life ? If you recall, Ralph Kramden was always threatening to send Alice : "To the Moon Alice !" "One more time and it's to the moon ! " With all repsect to a great entertainer I now bring you "Jackie Gleason & The Little "Men From Mars" This was sent to me via email: I don't know where it came from, so if anyone knows the originting source please let me know so I may post proper credit !
Jackie Gleason & The Little "Men From Mars"
by Timothy Green Beckley
Way back in the mid-1960s, I got a letter in the mail from Jackie Gleason Productions, Hollywood, Florida, ordering a copy of a mimeographed booklet I had put together relating to UFOs. This, to me, was confirmation of what I had heard rumors about for a long time ... that "the Great One" was personally involved in researching UFOs. Supposedly - and I've since found out that this is true - Gleason had one of the greatest UFO book collections in the world. This is where the tale gets a bit wilder. A story circulated by Gleason's ex-wife, Beverly, has Jackie actually viewing the bodies of several aliens who died when their craft crashed in the Southwest.
The story was carried originally in the National Enquirer, and though Beverly Gleason later confirmed it to members of the press who were able to track her down, independent confirmation of Gleason's supposed experience could - for the longest time - not be certified.
Now with the striking revelations of a young man who knew Gleason personally, it can safely be said that such an event did take place...
Larry Warren was an Airman First Class stationed at Bentwaters Air Force Base in England (a NATO installation staffed mainly by US. servicemen) when an incredible series of events took place over Christmas week of 1980. A UFO was picked up on radar and subsequently came down just outside the perimeter of the base in a dense forest.
On the first of several nights of confrontation with the Unknown, three security police ventured into the area across an eerie-looking object hovering just above the ground. One of the MPs was mesmerized by the UFO and was unable to move for nearly an hour. While in this mental state, he received some sort of telepathic message that the craft would return. For the next few nights, up to 80 US. servicemen, British bobbies, as well as civilians from some nearby farms, witnessed an historic event. According to Larry Warrenwho stood within feet of this craft from another world-three occupants came out of the ship and actually communicated with a high ranking member of the U.S. Air Force.
This close encounter at Bentwaters has become the subject of several books (see "From Out Of The Blue", Jenny Randles, Inner Light Publications) and has been given wide publicity on CNN, Home Box Office and more recently "Unsolved Mysteries." Warren has, in a sense, become somewhat of a celebrity himself as he remains in the public eye, willing to talk about what he observed.
"Jackie Gleason was interested in hearing my story first hand," Warren offers as a means of explaining how he met the famous comic in May, 1986. "At the time I was living in Connecticut and both CNN and HBO had run pieces on the Bentwaters case. Through mutual friends who knew members of his family, I was told that Gleason would like to talk with me privately in his home in Westchester County, and so the meeting was set for a Saturday when we would both have some time to relax'". After being formally introduced, the two men ventured into Gleason's recreation room complete with pool table and full-size bar. "There were hundreds of UFO books all over the place," Warren explains, "but Jackie was quick to tell me that this was only a tiny portion of his entire collection, which was housed in his home in Florida." For the rest of the day, UFO researcher and UFO witness exchanged information. "Gleason seemed to be very well informed on the subject," Larry says, "as he knew the smallest detail about most cases and showed me copies of the book "Clear Intent" that had just been published, as well as a copy of "Sky Crash", a British book about Bentwaters that was published, actually, before all the details of this case were made public. I remember Gleason telling me about his own sightings of several discs in Florida and how he thought there were undersea UFOs bases out in the Bermuda Triangle."
But it wasn't till after Warren had downed a few beers and Gleason had had a number of drinks-"his favorite, Rob Roys"-that conversation really got down to brass tacks. "At some point, Gleason turned to me and said, 'I want to tell you something very amazing that will probably come out some day anyway. We've got em!' 'Got what', I wanted to know? 'Aliens!' Gleason sputtered, catching his breath." According to Warren, Jackie proceeded to tell him the intriguing set of circumstances that led him to the stunning conclusion that extraterrestrials have arrived on our cosmic shores. "It was back when Nixon was in office that something truly amazing happened to me," Gleason explained. "We were close golfing buddies and had been out on the golf course all day when somewhere around the 15th hole, the subject of UFOs came up. Not many people know this," Gleason told Warren, "but the President shares my interest in this matter and has a large collection of books in his home on UFOs just like I do. For some reason, however, he never really took me into his confidence about what he personally knew to be true... one of the reasons being that he was usually sur- rounded by so many aids and advisers." Later that night, matters changed radically, when Richard Nixon showed up at Gleason's house around midnight. "He was all alone for a change. There were no secret service agents with him or anyone else. I said, 'Mr. President, what are you doing here?' and he said he wanted to take me someplace and show me something." Gleason got into the President's private car and they sped off into the darkness - their destination being Homestead Air Force Base. "I remember we got to the gate and this young MP came up to the car to look to see inside and his jaw seemed to drop a foot when he saw who was behind the wheel. He just sort of pointed and we headed off." Warren says that later Gleason found out that the secret service was going absolutely crazy trying to find out where Nixon was. "We drove to the very far end of the base in a segregated area," Gleason went on, "finally stopping near a well-guarded building. The security police saw us coming and just sort of moved back as we passed them and entered the structure. There were a number of labs we passed through first before we entered a section where Nixon pointed out what he said was the wreckage from a flying saucer, enclosed in several large cases." Gleason noted his initial reaction was that this was all a joke brought on by their earlier conversation on the golf course. But it wasn't, as Gleason soon learned. "Next, we went into an inner chamber and there were six or eight of what looked like glass-topped Coke freezers. Inside them were the mangled remains of what I took to be children. Then - upon closer examination - I saw that some of the other figures looked quite old. Most of them were terribly mangled as if they had been in an accident."
According to Larry Warren's testimony (regarding Gleason's lengthy conversation about UFOs and space visitors), "I forget whether he said they had three or four fingers on each hand, but they definitely were not human...of this he was most certain!" For three weeks following his trip with Nixon to Homestead Air Force Base, the world famous entertainer couldn't sleep and couldn't eat. "Jackie told me that he was very traumatized by all of this. He just couldn't understand why our government wouldn't tell the public all they knew about UFOs and space visitors. He said he even drank more heavily than usual until he could regain some of his composure and come back down to everyday reality." Larry Warren is convinced that Gleason wasn't lying to him. "You could tell that he was very sincere - he took the whole affair very seriously, and I could tell that he wanted to get the matter off his chest, and this was why he was telling me all of this." And as far as Larry Warren was concerned, the Great One's personal testimony only added extra credibility to his own first hand experience with aliens while he was in the service.
"Jackie felt just like I do that the government needs to 'come clean,' and tell us all it knows about space visitors. It time they stopped lying to the public and release all the evidence they have. When they do, then we'll all be able to see the same things the late Jackie Gleason did!"
Hopefully this day may arrive soon.
I know you were looking specifically to things relating to his family but I hope you can use this somehow on your paper (I found it interesting) :) Jackie Gleason was born on February 26th, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York. This future great was born into a poor family of Irish Catholic immigrants, living in Brooklyn. His father, Herbert Gleason, was an insurance clerk who ran out on his family when Jackie was only nine years of age. His mother, Mae Kelly Gleason, died when he was nineteen. This, and the fact that his only sibling, Clemence, was diagnosed with tuberculosis when Jackie was three, made Jackie have a very sad and lonely childhood. Gleason, who attended Public School 73, dropped out before he was sixteen, and instead hung out with an organization that was basically a street gang. Even though he was a gigantic eater as a teenager, he was very good at sports, particularly boxing and football. Right from the beginning, Jackie seemed to be a natural for the entertainment field. He appeared in many church and school plays, and eventually won an award for an original comedy routine. From there, we was a master of ceremonies at a vaudeville house, Folly Theater. After leaving school, he began to travel around New York, picking up jobs as he went. He also worked in hotels in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After working in other various jobs, he married Genevieve Halford, a dancer, in the year 1936. They had two daughters, Geraldine and Linda, the only children he ever had. After several separations, the couple finally split up in 1954, though the legal divorce would occur later in 1970. In 1941, Jack Warner signed Gleason, who had been working in nightclubs and musicals, to a contract, and he headed out to Hollywood at the age of 25. His early movies unsuccessful, Warner contributed his signature on the contract to drunkenness. After failing in Hollywood, Jackie grew to hate Los Angeles, and his future works would take place on the East Coast, in New York and Florida. Depressed, Jackie returned to nightclubs and the stage, and even tried radio. But it was when his agent, George "Bullets" Durgom suggested he work in television that Gleason went on his way. He was cast in the title role of "The Life of Riley," but he was not right for the part, and it was soon cancelled. His television career really began when he signed on with the DuMont network as the summer host of "Calvacade of Stars." After two episodes, he was signed on as permanent host. It was here where he created his most memorable characters, including Ralph Kramden. But, after guest hosting several shows on other networks, Jackie signed an exclusive contract with CBS as the host of "The Jackie Gleason Show." In the 1955-1956 season, he took Ralph Kramden's "The Honeymooners" and made it into its own show for a season. Today, this is one of the most beloved sitcoms, even making number 3 on TV Guide's recent "The 50 Best TV Shows of All Time." Gleason continued to make several movies, including "The Hustler" which earned him an Oscar nomination, and "Requiem for a Heavyweight." In "The Hustler" Jackie did all of his own pool shots for the camera. Gleason also recorded his own records, writing his own music even though he could not read a note. In 1962 Jackie returned to television with "Jackie Gleason's American Scene Magizine," but the name was soon changed back to "The Jackie Gleason Show." In July 1970 he married Beverly McKittrick, but they were divorced in 1974. The following year he married Marilyn Taylor, sister of June Taylor of the June Taylor Dancers. After working on a series of movies throughout the 80's, Gleason died on June 24th, 1987, of colon and liver cancer. His demise saddened many in the entertainment business, as well as all of those who watched him for his many years on television. The only thing I can add to the above is that the actor Jason Patric is his grandson I happen to know an 85-year-old woman who was friends with Genevieve and the two daughters and would have coffee with them in an Eastside Manhattan place each morning. This is based on a conversation I had with her about two weeks ago. If you have specific questions, I may be able to get more answers. |
