# Ted Nathanson

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**Edward "Ted" Nathanson** (1925 – June 6, 1997) was an American television director.

## Biography

Born Benedict Gimbel III to a [Jewish](/source/American_Jews) family in Philadelphia, the son of Ethel S. (née Nathanson) and [Benedict Gimbel Jr.](/source/Benedict_Gimbel_Jr.) and the great-grandson of [Adam Gimbel](/source/Adam_Gimbel) of the [Gimbel Brothers](/source/Gimbel_Brothers) retailing family.[1][2] His father was the president and general manager of WIP, one of the first radio stations in Philadelphia.[3][4] He changed his name to Edward Nathanson (the surname of his mother) after his parents divorced.[1] (His father remarried in 1931 to actress [Sally Phipps](/source/Sally_Phipps) although they divorced in 1935).[5] During World War II, he volunteered for the [American Field Service](/source/American_Field_Service) as an ambulance driver in Europe for Field Marshal [Bernard Montgomery](/source/Bernard_Montgomery)'s [Eighth Army](/source/Eighth_Army_(United_Kingdom)).[1] After the war, he worked for [CBS](/source/CBS), [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) and then [NBC](/source/NBC) where he directed the original *[Tonight Show](/source/Tonight_Show)* and the *[Today Show](/source/Today_(U.S._TV_program)).*[2]

He then became the coordinating producer of football and tennis for [NBC Sports](/source/NBC_Sports), where he directed 13 consecutive [Super Bowls](/source/Super_Bowls), 21 consecutive [Wimbledon tennis championships](/source/The_Championships,_Wimbledon),[1] the [1972 Winter Olympics](/source/1972_Winter_Olympics), and the [1988 Summer Olympics](/source/1988_Summer_Olympics).[2] He also directed a wide variety of television shows including game shows, political conventions, and sporting events including [major league baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball_on_NBC), [boxing](/source/Boxing_on_NBC), college football, [hockey](/source/NHL_on_NBC), and [golf](/source/Golf_Channel_on_NBC).[1] He was one of the first to utilize hand-held and remote-controlled cameras.[1] He remained at NBC for 37 years.[1]

He was the first person to receive the [Directors Guild of America](/source/Directors_Guild_of_America) Lifetime Achievement Award for sports-related broadcasting.[1]

## Personal life

He died on June 6, 1997, in [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) of [lung cancer](/source/Lung_cancer).[1] He was survived by his wife, Edith (née Landesman), a producer he met while working at ABC;[2][6] and three children, [Michael Nathanson](/source/Michael_Nathanson_(film_executive)), Laura Nathanson Knobloch, and Carla Nathanson Hoffman.[1][7][8] All three of his children worked in the industry: Laura retired as Senior Vice President at ABC Television; Carla with the *[David Letterman Show](/source/David_Letterman_Show)*; and [Michael](/source/Michael_Nathanson_(film_executive)) as president of [MGM Pictures](/source/MGM_Pictures).[2] His wife died in 2020.[6]

## References

1. Sandomir, Richard (June 7, 1997). ["Ted Nathanson, 72, Director Of NBC Sports and News Shows"](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/07/sports/ted-nathanson-72-director-of-nbc-sports-and-news-shows.html). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*

1. ["Edward Nathanson"](https://variety.com/1997/scene/people-news/edward-nathanson-1116680145/). [Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine)). June 12, 1997.

1. ["Benedict Gimbel, Jr."](https://www.broadcastpioneers.com/bp11/bengimbel.html). *Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia*

1. ["Benedict Gimbel Jr., 71, Dies; Had Owned Radio Station WIP"](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/06/archives/benedict-gimbel-jr-71-dies-had-owned-radio-station-wip.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. February 6, 1971.

1. Diliberto, Gioia (February 24, 2008). ["The Flapper Doesn't Change Her Spots"](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/style/tmagazine/24jazz.html). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*

1. ["Nathanson-Edith Landesman, passed away Friday evening, April 10, 2020"](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=edith-nathanson&pid=195970825). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. April 15, 2020.

1. ["David Hoffman Wed To Carla Nathanson"](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/28/style/david-hoffman-wed-to-carla-nathanson.html). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*. September 28, 1986. Retrieved April 28, 2018.

1. ["Peter Knobloch Wed To Laura Nathanson"](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/05/style/peter-knobloch-wed-to-laura-nathanson.html). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*. February 5, 1989. Retrieved April 27, 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ted Nathanson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nathanson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nathanson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.