This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2024) |
Edward Lasker (May 15, 1912 – July 11, 1997) was an American heir, film producer, and Thoroughbred racehorse owner. After graduating from college in 1933 he worked for his father's prominent Chicago advertising agency until entering the U.S. military for service during World War II in 1942. He later relocated to Los Angeles, became a film producer, went to law school in his 40s, and long served on the board of two prominent industrial and banking corporations.
Edward Lasker | |
---|---|
Born | May 15, 1912 |
Died | July 11, 1997 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 85)
Education | B.A. Yale University J.D. University of California in Los Angeles |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse(s) | Caral Gimbel (divorced) Jane Greer (divorced) Cynthia Stone Palmer |
Children | 3, including Lawrence Lasker |
Father | Albert Lasker |
Family | Bernard Gimbel (father-in-law) Frances Lasker Brody (sister) Doris Kenyon (stepmother) Mary Woodard Reinhardt (stepmother) |
Biography
editLasker was one of the three children of Albert Davis Lasker (1880–1952) and Flora (ne Warner). Lasker was the owner of Lord & Thomas, a highly successful Chicago advertising agency, and the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise.[1] His sisters are Mary Lasker Block (1904–1981)[2] and Frances Lasker Brody (1916–2009).[1]
In 1929, Lasker became involved in thoroughbred horse racing as an owner/breeder. He graduated from Yale University in 1933. He then joined his father's advertising agency and worked there until 1942, when he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific. After the war (by which time his father had left the advertising business), Lasker moved to California, where he became a film producer in Hollywood.
In 1952, at age forty, he enrolled at the University of California in Los Angeles to study law. He graduated in 1955 and began practicing, going on to serve for many years on the boards of directors of Phillip Morris, Inc. and Great Western Financial.
Personal life
editIn 1935 Lasker married Gimbels department-store heiress Caral Gimbel (daughter of Bernard Gimbel),[3] who joined him as a race horse owner. The marriage ended in divorce[when?] and Caral wed baseball star Hank Greenberg in 1946.
In 1947, Lasker married actress Jane Greer, with whom he had three children: Alex and Lawrence Lasker (both screenwriters and producers) and Steven Lasker. In 1963, Lasker married Cynthia Stone Palmer.
Lasker died in Los Angeles on July 11, 1997, aged 85.
References
edit- ^ a b Morello, John A.. "Albert Lasker", Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 4, edited by Jeffrey Fear. German Historical Institute; accessed June 26, 2013.
- ^ "Mary Lasker Block Dies; Chicago Cultural Leader". The New York Times. February 19, 1981.
- ^ Rosengren, John (March 2013). Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. New York: New American Library. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-451-23576-3.
Sources
edit- Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders (1983) Greenwood Press ISBN 978-0-313-23910-6