
He was raised in Hollywood in the 1930s after his parents, members of the German intelligentsia, fled Hitler. 16, but his exposure to celebrity predated her. Viertel was married for 47 years to actress Deborah Kerr, who died Oct. Peter Viertel, 86, a writer who adapted literary works for the movies and might be best known for the 1953 novel “White Hunter, Black Heart,” a thinly disguised satirical account of working with director John Huston on “The African Queen,” died Sunday in Marbella, Spain, of lymphoma. Osmond is survived by nine children, 55 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren. Now known as the Children’s Miracle Network, it raises funds for children’s hospitals. Osmond’s first two sons, Virl and Tom, developed degenerative hearing disorders that affected their speech, which led Osmond and his wife to form a foundation. He worked in real estate, sold insurance and was a postmaster for the city of Ogden, Utah, before moving to California to oversee his children’s careers. 13, 1917, in Star Valley, Wyo., and went on missions for the Mormon church in Hawaii and Britain.ĭuring World War II, George Osmond served in the Army and met his future wife at a military depot, where she worked as a secretary. The remaining telecasts originated from a facility the Osmonds built for $2.5 million, according to “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows.”Ī descendant of a pioneering member of the Mormon church, George Virl Osmond was born Oct. The family motto was “all for one,” but George Osmond also had declared, “We don’t care which Osmond is out front – as long as it’s an Osmond,” the London Daily Mail reported in 2003.īy the show’s second season, the family wanted to return to their hometown of Orem, Utah. In 1976, the “Donny and Marie” variety show on ABC featured the teenagers and – at the stars’ insistence – their siblings, which included the youngest brother, Jimmy. Marie Osmond began appearing with the group in 1973.

With the Jackson 5 as a role model, the brothers began to broaden their musical range and had a hit in 1971 with “One Bad Apple (Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch),” the beginning of about a decade in the spotlight.

In an interview last year with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Donny Osmond recalled how his father – a devout Mormon and strict disciplinarian – had once upbraided Frank Sinatra after Sinatra’s daughter Nancy used inappropriate language during a 1969 rehearsal in Las Vegas in front of the Osmond brothers. About a year later, 6-year-old Donny joined the group.

They debuted on “The Andy Williams Show” in 1962. Within weeks, the father of singer Andy Williams saw their act and recommended them to his son. When he failed to get his sons an audition with “The Lawrence Welk Show,” Osmond took the youngsters to Disneyland as a consolation prize.Īfter giving an impromptu concert at the park, the brothers were hired to perform regularly. George Osmond was a singer who taught four of his sons – Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay – to perform as a barbershop quartet.

Osmond family patriarch launched singers’ careers – The Denver Post Close Menuĭonny and Marie have seven other brothers.
