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Born David Margulois, he was the youngest of four children of a grocery salesman. His parents divorced when he was seven and he subsequently lived with various family members. He attended Central High School in St. Louis and won a scholarship to study at Washington University. He went on to get a law degree at St. Louis University and took part in amateur theatricals during his spare time there. In 1939, he moved to practice law in New York. It was at this point that he took the plunge into theatrical producing under the name of Merrick � fashioned after the famous eighteenth-century Irish actor David Garrick. He abandoned his legal career completely in 1940.

Merrick was married six times to five different women and was father to four children from these marriages. In February 1983 Merrick suffered a devastating stroke that left him speech impaired and in a wheelchair. He died in his sleep at age 88 at St. George’s Rest Home in London.

Key Dates & Events

• 1939 - Merrick moved to practice law in New York City.
• 1940 - Merrick abandoned his legal career for the theatre.
• 1958 - Merrick set a precedent of having four hit productions on Broadway simultaneously.
• 1961 - Merrick won his first Special Tony Award. He repeated the feat in 1968.
• 1983 - Merrick suffered a stroke that left him confined to a wheelchair.