Biography for
Ted Turner (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

19 November 1938, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Birth Name

Robert Edward Turner III

Nickname

Captain Outrageous (during his America's Cup days)
The Mouth of the South

Spouse

Jane Fonda	(21 December 1991 - 22 May 2001) (divorced)
Jane Shirley Smith	(2 June 1965 - 1988) (divorced) 3 children
Judy Nye	(23 June 1960 - 1964) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark

Licensing classic black-and-white movies to colorize them (the process is sometimes referred to as "Turnerizing", frequently in a derogatory context)

Trivia

Born at 8:50am-EST

Founder/owner of CNN, WTBS, TNT, and other media properties.

Announced plans to donate $1 billion to the United Nations over a 10-year period. [18 September 1997]

Managed the Atlanta Braves for one game in 1977 (he lost).

Attended Brown University, but left before graduation. He was expelled his junior year for smuggling a coed into his room.

His father committed suicide in 1959.

Former brother-in-law of Peter Fonda.

Founded WTBS "Superstation" cable network in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 1970.

Was the skipper of "Courageous," the boat that won the America's Cup in 1977, the most prestigious event in yachting.

Is the largest private landowner in the United States with about 1.75 million acres in New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. His ranch empire, based in Montana, raises bison.

Was the creator of World Championship Wrestling, which began competing with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation on Monday nights.

Former owner of the MLB's Atlanta Braves, NHL's Atlanta Thrashers & NBA's Atlanta Hawks. They are now owned by Time Warner.

With the merger of his company with Time-Warner, and that company's merger with America On-Line, he has become vice-president of AOL Time-Warner, the largest multi-media conglomerate in the world.

Created the children's cartoon show "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) as a way to educate kids about the negative effects of pollution. Turner was angered for so long about the effect the population had on the Earth, so he created the TV show hoping to let the next generation be more aware of the problems that people cause.

His cable television networks include Superstation WTBS, various international versions of Cable News Network (CNN), CNN Headline News, CNN Financial, Turner Network Television (TNT), Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Cartoon Network.

On 29 January 2003, he announced he would resign from his position as Vice-President of AOL Time Warner. In November of 2001, Turner told cable television executives that he felt sidelined by AOL Time Warner when he was replaced earlier that year as head of Turner Broadcasting Systems.

Once stated on "Larry King Live" (1985) that he regretted fathering more than one child, due to his belief that the world is overpopulated.

Former uncle of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda.

Received an honorary doctorate from Trinity College in 2001.

Served as best man at Larry King and Shawn Southwick's wedding

Built his Turner Network from one modest Atlanta television station once known as WTCG Channel 17, and now known as the Super Station. From this one small station, which specialized in reruns of TV series, old movies from the "Golden Age of Hollywood", and original programming, he expanded into CNN and eventually created the television channels Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies and Turner South.

In March 2001, sold World Championship Wrestling to his competition the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment). WWF used the brand in their programming for less than a year before retiring it.

Started his own restaurant chain called "Ted's Montana Grill". It's signature meat is bison harvested on Ted's very own land.

Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2004.

Graduated from the prestigious McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Personal Quotes

Men should be disqualified for public office. Women should run the planet. They're better than us.

If I only had a little humility I would be perfect.

Even when I started in 1970, I knew that television was having a negative effect on our society.

(When asked what his personal motto was): "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!"

One summer I made $50 a week, and my father charged me $25 a week rent. I asked him if that wasn't a little high. He said that if I could do better than that for food and lodging seven days a week I could move out.

On the 2008 government bailout saving car companies instead of the restaurant business: People would rather eat than drive cars!

The best day of my life was my wedding night. The first one. The others weren't so bad either!

The biggest thing I learned from losing? Winning's better.

Salary

Gods and Generals (2003)

$636

Where Are They Now

(1979) Release of his book, "The Racing Edge" by Ted with Gary Jobson.

(1999) Release of his book, "Ted Turner Speaks: Insight From the World's Greatest Maverick" by Ted with Janet Lowe.

(November 2008) Release of his autobiography, "Call Me Ted" by Ted with Bill Burke.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z