Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television host, singer, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. During the 1960s, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show, and created the game shows Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Click, and Merv Griffin's Crosswords. He is considered an entertainment business magnate.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 6, 1925
- August 12, 2007 (aged 82)
- San Mateo, California, USA
- Actor, composer, producer and writer
- 24 on MovieCove · 60 credits in all
What are Merv Griffin's films like?
Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 9
Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 4 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 7 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 3
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 0
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Merv Griffin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Merv Griffin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
60 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page; 35 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
ESPN Jeopardy!(2026)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Pop Culture Jeopardy! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Pop Culture Jeopardy!(2024)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Jeopardy! Masters(2023)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
Celebrity Jeopardy!(2022)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
My Guest is Orson Welles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Lykkehjulet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all showsMillion Dollar Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Merv Griffin's Crosswords (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Fat Actress(2005)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all shows
Alf's Hit Talk Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
TV Land Moguls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Roda a Roda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Dance Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Shade(2003)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Hercules(1998)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all showsRock & Roll Jeopardy! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Hope and Gloria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Super Jeopardy! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Monopoly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
La Roue de la fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Alice in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
The Golden Girls(1985)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Jeopardy!(1984)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Wheel of Fortune(1983)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows
The Man with Two Brains(1983)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Funny Farm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Newhart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
One-Trick Pony(1980)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all filmsDance Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Presenting Susan Anton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Two-Minute Warning(1976)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all filmsWheel of Fortune (Daytime) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Sanford and Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Memory Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Reach for the Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Inside Daisy Clover(1965)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Jeopardy! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Merv Griffin Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Boy from Oklahoma(1954)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Three Sailors and a Girl(1953)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
So This Is Love(1953)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Trouble Along the Way(1953)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Cattle Town(1952)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Koło Fortuny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Pole Chudes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Wheel of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 31st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 56 titles, 52 of them dated from 1952 to 2026.
Biggest box office
The Lonely Guy (1984)
Highest rated
Shade (2003)
Most popular right now
Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022)
Film career
- 1953Screen debut· Trouble Along the Way
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Nominated for a Golden Globe in 1971, Best TV Actor - Comedy or Musical.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Merv Griffin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th10
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 24 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed10
Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Merv Griffin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Merv Griffin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Billy Wisse shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Lucinda IrelandShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Lucinda Ireland
- Russell NormanShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Russell Norman
Writers
- Billy WisseShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Billy Wisse
- Debbie GriffinShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Debbie Griffin
- Jim RhineShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Jim Rhine
- John DuarteShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with John Duarte
Actors
- Johnny GilbertShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Johnny Gilbert
- Ken JenningsShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Ken Jennings
- James HolzhauerShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 2 shared titles with James Holzhauer
- Jerry LewisShared titles: Don Rickles: Rickles on the Loose (1986), Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Lewis
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Evon BarrosShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Evon Barros
- Anthony B. RichmondShared titles: Shade (2003), Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Anthony B. Richmond
- James MooreShared titles: Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954), The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)See all 2 shared titles with James Moore
- Max SteinerShared titles: The Boy from Oklahoma (1954), So This Is Love (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Max Steiner
Producers
- Bob SofiaShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Bob Sofia
- Lisa BroffmanShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Lisa Broffman
- Sarah Whitcomb FossShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022), Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Sarah Whitcomb Foss
- Bari Jean DormanShared titles: Jeopardy! Masters (2023), Celebrity Jeopardy! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Bari Jean Dorman