Herbert Walton Gleason Jr. (1916 - 1987)

Born 26 Feb 1916 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Genevieve (Halford) Gleason — married 20 Sep 1936 (to 24 Jun 1970) in New Jersey, United States

Descendants

Died 24 Jun 1987 at age 71 in Lauderhill, Broward, Florida, United States

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Biography

Jackie Gleason Jr. was a New Yorker.

Jackie Gleason Jr. is Notable.

Originally named Herbert Walton Gleason, Jr., but baptized John Herbert Gleason, he was called Jackie Gleason. Jackie grew up in Brooklyn, New York at the same address that his most recognizable character, Ralph Kramden, lived on television.

Gleason was born in 1916 at 364 Chauncey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. He grew up at 328 Chauncey (an address he later used for Ralph and Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners). Originally named Herbert Walton Gleason Jr., he was baptized John Herbert Gleason. His parents were Mae "Maisie" (née Kelly), Farranree, Cork, Ireland, and Herbert Walton "Herb" Gleason, an Irish-American insurance auditor. Gleason was one of two children; his brother Clemence died of spinal meningitis at age 14.

John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an American comedian, actor, and musician who developed a style and characters in his career from growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, exemplified by his character Ralph Kramden in the television series The Honeymooners. By filming the episodes with Electronicam, Gleason later could release the series in syndication, building its popularity over the years with new audiences. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which had the second-highest ratings in the country 1954-1955, and which he produced over the years in variations, including in the venue of Miami, Florida after moving there.

Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats in the Academy Award-winning 1961 drama The Hustler (co-starring with Paul Newman), and Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit series from 1977 into the early 1980s, in which he co-starred with Burt Reynolds.

Gleason Decreased Wife`s Share In Will On Deathbed
July 23, 1987|By LARRY KELLER, Staff Writer
On his deathbed last month, a Jackie Gleason who was too ill to sign his own name modified his will, decreasing his wife`s share of his estate and increasing the amount of money to be paid to his secretary.
The entertainer`s will, which was filed in Broward Probate Court, leaves his estate to his third wife and two daughters from his first marriage. The value of the estate has not yet been estimated.
He appointed his third wife, Marilyn, to be the executor of his will. As such, she can make all decisions regarding the disposition of his assets.
Gleason died of liver and colon cancer on June 24 at his home in the Inverrary section of Lauderhill. He was 71.
Gleason made out the will in April 1985. He said Marilyn Gleason was to receive one-half his estate. The balance was to be divided equally between his daughters, Geraldine Chatuk of Los Angeles and Linda Miller of Santa Monica, Calif. He also specified that his secretary of 29 years, Sydell Spear of Hialeah, would get $25,000.
The star of television`s The Honeymooners also left his personal effects, including jewelry, clothing, art works and automobiles to Marilyn Gleason, the sister of choreographer June Taylor.
But on June 23, the day before he died, the man known to many as ``The Great One`` amended the document so that Marilyn Gleason will now receive one-third of his estate, with the balance still to be divided equally by the two daughters. They will now each receive one-third of his estate, rather than one-fourth.
Gleason also increased the amount to be given to his secretary, Spear, from $25,000 to $100,000.
Brian Patchen, a Miami lawyer who drafted the will, and two longtime business associates, Richard Green and Irwin Marks, were with Gleason when he made the amendment.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Gleason Deceased Wife Shares in Will, South Florida Sun Sentinal, 23 Jul 1987, page 6.

• Jackie Gleason rewrote will on his deathbed, The Miami Herald, 24 Jul 1987.

See Also:

• Jackie Gleason on Wikipedia

• Wikidata: Item Q454200, en:Wikipedia

• Jackie Gleason website

• Jackie Gleason @IMDb.com