Johnny Hyde (born Ivan Haidabura; 23 April 1895 – 18 December 1950) was an American

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainm ...

who developed the career of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

Early life

Hyde was born to a Ukrainian Jewish family and moved to the United States in April 1898. His father, Nicholas, was an actor.

Career

Hyde was the vice-president of the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...

's West Coast office during the 1930s and 1940s and represented some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. In 1949 he met then-unknown actress and model

when she was being photographed by Hollywood

pin-up A pin-up model is a model (person), model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour photography, glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures ...

photographer Bruno Bernard at the Racquet Club of Palm Springs. Taking her on as a client, he had her undergo minor plastic surgery, and used his influence to help her land the roles of Angela in '' The Asphalt Jungle'' and Miss Caswell in ''

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story (and subsequent 1949 radio drama) "The Wisdom of E ...

''. The buzz generated by her performances enabled Hyde to negotiate a contract for Monroe with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. Just a few days after securing the contract, Hyde died of a heart attack aged 55. Hyde eventually left his wife for Monroe. He wanted to marry her, but she repeatedly refused his marriage proposals; she said she loved Hyde, but was not actually in love with him. Monroe was his mistress when he died.

Death and legacy

Hyde died on 18 December 1950.California Death Records, using the search terms "John Hyde" 'vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com'
2 July 2010 He was survived by his third wife, actress Mozelle Cravens (1914–2004) and his four sons, two from his first marriage to Florence Harper and two from Cravens. Hyde was played by Ron Rifkin in '' Norma Jean & Marilyn'', Richard Basehart in the TV movie '' Marilyn: The Untold Story'', Joel Grey in the TV movie ''Marilyn and Me'', and Lloyd Bridges in the TV miniseries ''Moviola'' episode " This Year's Blonde".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyde, Johnny 1895 births 1950 deaths People from Poltava Hollywood talent agents American people of Russian-Jewish descent Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States American talent agents