Nationality United States Ethnicity Jewish | Occupation Media executive Name Ted Ashley | |
Full Name Theodore Assofsky Known for chairman of the Warner Bros. Children Fran Ashley Dubin
Diane Ashley
Kim Ashley Balin
Ba-nhi Ashley Sinclair Died August 24, 2002, New York, United States Spouse Linda Palmer (m. 1968–1973) | ||
Ted Ashley (August 3, 1922 – August 24, 2002) was the chairman of the Warner Bros. film studio from 1969 to 1980.
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Biography
Ashley was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn as Theodore Assofsky. At the age of 20 he started out as a William Morris agent (He changed his name at that time). In 1951, he started his own talent agency, Ted Ashley and Associates (later Ashley-Famous), which was acquired by Kinney National Company in 1967 in exchange for 12,750,000 in Warner's stock. Ashley made the sale for personal reasons, indicating that he did not want to be an agent anymore. In an interview, Ashley quotes, “There’s something undermining to one’s sense of one’s self about that whole relationship” (referencing the agent and client partnership).
In 1969, Kinney head Steve Ross acquired the cash-stripped film company Warner Bros.-Seven Arts at Ashley's suggestion. The purchase was made and Ashley was appointed CEO of the movie studio where he served until 1981. Beginning with the unexpected success of the concert documentary Woodstock (1970), the company started scoring box office hits again, reestablishing Warner Bros. as a major studio. He then became vice chairman of Warner Communications until his retirement in 1988.
Personal life
Ashley was married twice. He has four daughters from his first marriage: Fran Curtis Dubin, Diane Ashley, Kim Balin and Banhi Sinclair. His second wife was Page Cuddy. He died aged 80 in New York of leukemia, after a long illness.