Reginald Roy Grundy AC, OBE (4 August 1923 – 6 May 2016) was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul, best known for his numerous television productions.
He was the producer of various Australian game shows, such as Blankety Blanks (based on a Mark Goodson–Bill Todman production, Match Game) and Wheel of Fortune (based on the US Merv Griffin production of the same name) before later diversifying into soap operas and serials including Prisoner, The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours, the last of which was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 2005.
[1][2] Grundy served in the Australian Army during World War II as a Sergeant stationed in Sydney in the 1 Motor Division Signals.
[4] While he was working at 2CH Sydney in 1957, Grundy conceived and hosted the Wheel of Fortune game show on radio, which moved to Channel Nine two years later.
[1] He founded his own production company Reg Grundy Enterprises in 1960, and began producing game shows for the Australian and overseas market, before eventually branching out into drama in 1973.
[5] The company produced several successful television soap operas and drama series, including Class of '74, The Restless Years, The Young Doctors, Prisoner, Glenview High, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours.
[7] Grundy owned the private media investment company RG Capital, which had shares in several FM radio stations.
[19] Presenter Andrew Denton commented, "I'm sure the record will show that more Australians have watched more hours of Reg Grundy television than that of any other individual.
"[19] While actress Jackie Woodburne, who worked on Grundy productions Neighbours, Prisoner and The Young Doctors, stated that "Reg was a true groundbreaker in Australian television in the [']70s and [']80s, and beyond[,] in light entertainment and drama.