Background
Archerd was born in The Bronx, New York, and graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 1941.
Archerd was born in The Bronx, New York, and graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 1941.
Graduate, University of California at Los Angeles, 1941. Graduate, United States Naval Academy Postgraduate School, 1943.
In November 2005, Archerd began blogging for Variety and was working on a memoir when he died. He was hired by Variety to replace columnist Sheilah Graham (former girlfriend of F Scott Fitzgerald) in 1953. His "Just for Variety" column appeared on page two of Daily Variety and swiftly became popular in Hollywood.
Archerd broke countless exclusive stories, reporting from film sets, announcing pending deals, giving news of star-related hospitalizations, marriages, and births.
In 1984, he was given a star on Hollywood"s Walk of Fame, in front of Mann"s Chinese Theater, where he had emceed dozens of movie premieres. One of his most significant scoops was in his July 23, 1985, column, when he printed that Rock Hudson, despite denials from the actor"s publicists and managers, was undergoing treatment for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Archerd was Jewish and a strong proponent of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Holocaust awareness.
They had one child and lived in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Archerd made four appearances on the popular, long-running game show "The Hollywood Squares" in the 1970s.
His bluffs to questions from Peter Marshall became legendary, as he was able to fool contestants into believing his (often ridiculous) answers.
Archerd died at Ronald Reagan University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center from a rare form of lung cancer (pleural mesothelioma), as a result of his exposure to asbestos in the Navy during World World War World War II
Served to lieutenant United States Navy. Member Hollywood Press Club (founder).
Married Selma Archerd.
