AKA Bennett Alfred Cerf

Born: 25-May-1898
Birthplace: Manhattan, NY
Died: 27-Aug-1971
Location of death: Mount Kisco, NY
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Religion: Jewish
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Business

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Founder of Random House

Frequent panelist on What's My Line? 1952-68.

Father: Gustave Bennett
Mother: Fredericka Wise
Wife: Sylvia Sidney (actress, m. 1935, div. 1936)
Wife: Phyllis Fraser (m. 1940, until his death, two sons)
Son: Christopher B. Cerf (writer for Sesame Street)
Son: Jonathan F. Cerf (author, 1980 world Othello champion)

    University: AB, Columbia University (1919)
    University: Litt B, Columbia University (1920)

    Random House President (1927-65)
    Member of the Board of Random House (as Chairman, 1965-70)
    Dutch Treat Club (1940-71)
    Phi Beta Kappa Society
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 6407 Hollywood Blvd (television)
    Parodied As A Muppet Bennett Snerf

    TELEVISION
    What's My Line? Panelist

Appears on the cover of:
Time, 16-Dec-1966, DETAILS: Bennett Cerf: Books by the Billion

Author of books:
Try and Stop Me (1944)
Laughing Stock (1945)
Anything for a Laugh (1946)
Laughter Incorporated (1952)
Good for a Laugh (1952)
The Life of the Party (1956)
Reading for Pleasure (1957)
Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles (1960)
At Random, The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf (12-Aug-1977, posthumous autobiography, edited by Christopher Cerf)

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile

Copyright ©2008 Soylent Communications