Morton Downey Jr.
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| relatives = Tony Downey (brother) [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]] (grandfather) [[Adrienne Morrison]] (grandmother) [[Lewis Morrison]] (great-grandfather) [[Constance Bennett]] (aunt) [[Joan Bennett]] (aunt) |
| relatives = Tony Downey (brother) [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]] (grandfather) [[Adrienne Morrison]] (grandmother) [[Lewis Morrison]] (great-grandfather) [[Constance Bennett]] (aunt) [[Joan Bennett]] (aunt) |
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| ⚫ | ''' Morton Downey Jr.''' (born '''Sean Morton Downey'''; December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television [[talk show]] host and actor who pioneered the "[[Tabloid talk show|trash TV]]" format in the late 1980s on his program ''[[The Morton Downey Jr. Show]]''.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/13/obit.morton.downey.ap/index.html |title=Trash TV icon Morton Downey Jr. dies|publisher=CNN|date=March 13, 2001|access-date=2009-08-07 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010316014541/http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/13/obit.morton.downey.ap/index.html |archive-date = 2001-03-16}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Morton-Downey-Jr-trash-TV-pioneer-68-11705335.php|title=Morton Downey Jr., trash TV pioneer, 68|agency=Associated Press|date=14 March 2001|website=New Haven Register|access-date=28 February 2019}} |
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| ⚫ | '''Morton Downey Jr.''' (born '''Sean Morton Downey'''; December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television [[talk show]] host |
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The son of singer [[Morton Downey]] and actress [[Barbara Bennett]], Downey worked in radio and music before moving into political and talk broadcasting. His television persona was combative, provocative, and theatrical, built around on-air arguments, audience participation, cigarette-smoking, and deliberately inflammatory exchanges with guests. At the height of his fame he became a pop-cultural phenomenon, making appearances in entertainment programs, wrestling, and film. |
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Downey's success was brief. His television show declined rapidly amid controversy, advertiser reluctance, and questions surrounding a highly publicized alleged assault at [[San Francisco International Airport]] in 1989. After the cancellation of his show, he made several attempted media comebacks but never regained the same prominence. He later became known for his battle with [[lung cancer]] despite having been a heavy smoker on screen. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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