Producer of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ Robert H. Precht Dies at 93
Robert H. Precht, best known for being the producer of The Ed Sullivan Show, has passed away. He died at his home on November 26 at the age of 93. His daughter, Margo Precht Speciale, confirmed the news but did not share a cause of death.
Precht joined The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958, about a decade after it premiered. He was eventually named executive producer and was in charge when the Beatles performed on the show in 1964 which caused quite a stir in America. He was often in charge of casting and was always on the lookout for the most interesting guests. He once said, “Because there’s no type of act we won’t use, there’s no place we won’t scout for talent.”
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Precht made headlines at an early age when he won a contest to take Elizabeth Taylor to the school’s junior prom as part of a promotion for the Bob Hope movie The Great Lover. After graduating from the University of California, Berkley, he served four years in the Navy and then began working on television. He worked on children’s shows and a court show drama before getting the job at The Ed Sullivan Show.
Remind After the show was canceled in 1971, he produced mainly music and award shows including the annual Country Music Association Awards. He is survived by his two daughters, two sons, and six grandchildren. His wife Elizabeth, who was the only daughter of Sullivan, passed away in 2014 and another son died in 1995.
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