Norman Brokaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | Norman Robert Brokaw April 21, 1927 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | October 29, 2016(2016-10-29) (aged 89) |
| Occupation | Talent agent |
| Employer | William Morris Agency |
| Title | CEO of William Morris Agency |
| Board member of | Helped start St. Jude, The Betty Ford Clinic, and Life Trustee of Cedars Sinai Hospital. |
| Spouse | Marguerite Longley Brokaw |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Johnny Hyde(maternal uncle) |
Norman Robert Brokaw (April 21, 1927 – October 29, 2016) was an American talent agent. He served as the president, chief executive officer, and chairman of theWilliam Morris Agency. He representedMarilyn Monroe,Donna Summer,Bill Cosby,Mark Spitz,Warren Beatty,Clint Eastwood, and many more.
Norman Brokaw was born in 1927 in New York City,[1] the son of Maria Hyde (née Haidabura) and Isidore Brokaw.[1] His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants fromPoltava andOdesa, respectively.[2] His mother performed with her father, Nicholas; her brother Victor, and sister Nettie, in the Haidabura Family Russian Peasant Quartette, which was "the first Russian acrobatic dance troupe to appear on the American vaudeville stage".[1][3] Another uncle,Johnny Hyde, was the vice president of the William Morris Agency.[4]
Brokaw relocated to Los Angeles when he was a teenager.[4]
Brokaw delivered mail for theWilliam Morris Agency in 1943, at the age of 15.[5] By the 1950s, he encouraged William Morris to get into the television business. He helped create such series asRacket Squad andThe Public Defender by moving 1950s film stars to television. Brokaw would go on to represent producers ofGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,The Dick Van Dyke Show, andThe Andy Griffith Show.[6]
Brokaw was appointed as the president and CEO of the William Morris Agency in 1989.[1] He became its CEO and chairman in 1991.[4]
Brokaw was the co-founder of theBetty Ford Cancer Center.[4] He also served as its president.[4] Additionally, he served on the boards of trustees of theCedars-Sinai Medical Center and theSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[4]
Brokaw married three times. He had six children: David Brokaw, Sanford Brokaw and Joel Brokaw with his first wife; Barbara Brokaw and Wendy Brokaw Kretchmer with his second wife; and Lauren Brokaw with his third wife, Marguerite Longley.[7]
Brokaw died on October 29, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California.[1] He was 89.[1]
Norman Robert Brokaw was born on April 21, 1927, in Manhattan, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia
