Ken Greengrass

Background

Born in the Bronx, son of First Rate (at Lloyd's) and Anne he had one brother, Floyd.

Education

He graduated high school from the Manhattan School of Music.

Career

Early Greengrass began his career in the entertainment industry as a professional trumpet player, and his knowledge of music led to a career managing artists and producing many of their albums, garnering dozens of gold records. Greengrass started in the music industry by playing trumpet in a band in which Eydie Gorme was the lead singer and Steve. Shortly thereafter, he became her Manager and helped direct her career and scores of others including Steve Lawrence, Diahann Carroll, Florence Henderson, John Pizzarelli, The Highwaymen (folk band) and Bob McGrath (of Sesame Street).

In the 1970s, Greengrass became an executive producer of television shows for all three major television networks.

In 2001, Greengrass produced a two-hour special for the Travel Channel, “The Secrets of San Simeon,” starring Patti Hearst. Greengrass was executive producer of the Easter Seals and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation Telethons for many years, helping to raise millions of dollars for those charities.

He was chairman-producer of the New York Friars Club Celebrity “Roast” and in early 1998 conceived the idea of broadcasting the Friars Roast as a television special. Greengrass died of a brief illness on April 10, 2014 in New York City surrounded by his family.

He was 87.

Achievements

• Greengrass was nominated for several Emmy Awards and won for National Broadcasting Company"s “How the Beatles Changed the World.” Other award-winning programs included “A Piece of Cake,” “C’mon Saturday” and primetime special “My Father the Circus King,” which marked the first time an outside producer was permitted to film the Ringling Brothers circus family at work.

Membership

He was a member of the New York Friars Club for more than 55 years and served on its board of directors.