Edgar Rosenberg (September 21, 1925
[ – August 14, 1987) was a German-born British]
Early life
Edgar Rosenberg was born to Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
parents in Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
in 1925.[ When he was a small boy, his family emigrated from Germany to Denmark and then South Africa to escape the Nazis.]Richard Meryman
Richard Sumner Meryman (August 6, 1926 – February 2, 2015) was an American journalist, biographer, and ''Life'' magazine writer and editor. He pioneered the monologue-style personality profile, beginning with a famous Marilyn Monroe interview, p ...
"Joan Mourns Edgar,"
''People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'', August 31, 1987.Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
and Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
.[Nikki Finke]
"Edgar Rosenberg: The Public Ending of a Private Life : Suicide of Rivers' Husband Came Without a Warning"
''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', August 20, 1987. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
Career
Rosenberg moved to the United States as a young man and rose to become an assistant to Emanuel Sacks, vice president of entertainment at NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, but was fired during a year of recovery from a traffic accident and had to work as a night clerk in a bookstore.[ In the 1960s, he worked for the public relations firm run by ]Anna M. Rosenberg
Anna Marie Rosenberg (née Lederer; July 19, 1899 – May 9, 1983), later Anna Rosenberg Hoffman, was an American public official, advisor to presidents, and businesswoman.
Background
Anna Marie Lederer was born on July 19, 1899, in Budapest, H ...
(to whom he was not related) and was a valued news source for journalists.[
As a co-founder of the nonprofit Telsun Foundation production company affiliated with the ]United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
, he helped to develop a series of television films promoting the United Nations, one of which, ''The Poppy Is Also a Flower
''The Poppy Is Also a Flower'' is a 1966 American-French-Austrian made-for-television spy and anti-drug film. It was originally made under the auspices of the United Nations as part of a series of television specials designed to promote the org ...
'' (1966), was also released to theaters as a feature film.[ and the short-lived 1970s ]sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
''Husbands, Wives & Lovers
''Husbands, Wives & Lovers'' is an American television sitcom that aired for only one season on CBS in 1978. Created by Joan Rivers, this program focused on the relationships of five suburban couples living in the San Fernando Valley.
Cast and ch ...
'', which was created by his wife, Joan Rivers.
In the 1970s, he produced the feature film '' Rabbit Test'' (1978), written and directed by Rivers. He served as Rivers' manager for most of their marriage and was a producer on ''The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', on the newly formed Fox Television Network
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
.[
]
Personal life and death
Rosenberg married actress, comedian and commentator Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
in July 1965, five days after hiring her to work with him in Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
rewriting a screenplay for a joint movie deal with his friend Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
.[ The couple had one daughter, ]Melissa Rivers
Melissa Warburg Rosenberg (previously Endicott; born January 20, 1968), known professionally as Melissa Rivers, is an American actress and television host. She is the only child of comedian Joan Rivers and producer Edgar Rosenberg.
Early life
M ...
.
In August 1987, several months after Fox fired him and Rivers, Rosenberg died by suicide, overdosing on prescription drugs
A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The re ...
in a Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
hotel room. He had been clinically depressed
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introd ...
, which Rivers believed was brought on by medication he had been taking since a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
in 1984. Nancy Reagan was the first person to telephone Rivers upon Rosenberg's death, and arranged for his body to be moved from Philadelphia.[Tim Teeman]
"Joan Rivers: Our Last Interview"
''The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', September 4, 2014, retrieved October 19, 2014.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Edgar
1925 births
1987 suicides
People from Bremerhaven
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
American film producers
American television producers
Drug-related suicides in Pennsylvania
Suicides in Philadelphia
Joan Rivers
People educated at Rugby School
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to South Africa