Sumner Murray Redstone Media mogul, chairman of Viacom Date of Birth: 27.05.1923 Country: USA

Biography of Sumner Murray Redstone

Sumner Murray Redstone, a media mogul, is the owner and chairman of National Amusements and Viacom. He was born on May 27, 1923, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Belle (nee Ostrovsky) and Michael Redstone, both of whom had Jewish roots. Originally, the family name was pronounced as "Rotstein," but in 1940, they changed it to the English sound of "Redstone." At the time of the name change, Sumner was 17 years old. His father was the owner of Northeast Theater Corporation in Dedham, which was the precursor to National Amusements, Inc.

Sumner attended the prestigious Boston Latin School, where he excelled and graduated as one of the top students in his class. He then went on to Harvard College, where he completed his bachelor's degree in just three years. During World War II, Redstone served in a unit that decrypted messages from the Japanese army. After the war and his military service, he worked in Washington, D.C., while also attending Georgetown Law School.

Upon completing his law degree and earning both a bachelor's and a doctorate in jurisprudence, Redstone primarily worked in Washington, D.C., first at the Department of Justice and then in private practice. However, after a few years, he decided to leave the legal profession and join his father's business. As National Amusements grew, Redstone believed that it was essential to focus on content rather than sales mechanisms.

In search of a new business venture, Sumner turned his attention to Viacom, which included MTV Networks. He soon invested in other now-major companies such as Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Orion, and Paramount Pictures, all of which proved to be highly profitable. In 1999, Redstone divorced his first wife, Phyllis Gloria Raphael, with whom he had two children: Shari and Brent. Shari Redstone later became the chairperson of the board of directors for Midway.

Three years after his divorce, Sumner married Paula Fortunato, a former elementary school teacher who was 40 years younger than him. Currently, Redstone holds the position of chairman of Viacom, which owns several cable networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central.