David Susskind

Career overview

David Howard Susskind was an American producer of stage plays, movies, and television, as well as a television talk show host. Born in New York City, New York, he was known for hosting talk shows that were innovative for the genre by addressing controversial and timely topics that went beyond the scope of other programs of that era.

Following the war, Susskind began his career as a press agent for Warner Brothers. He later served as a talent agent for Century Artists before joining the newly created television programming department at the Music Corporation of America. In this role, he managed clients including Jerry Lewis and Dinah Shore.

While in New York, Susskind established Talent Associates, a firm that focused on representing creators of material instead of performers. In 1954, he became a producer for NBC. Throughout his career, he accumulated 99 known credits in production. He died on February 22, 1987, at the age of 66.