Marvin Schlossberg, known professionally as Sonny Eliot[1] (December 5, 1920 – November 16, 2012), was an American meteorologist, actor and comedian, who was known for making jokes during his weather broadcasts.
Sonny Elliot | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marvin Schlossberg December 5, 1920 |
| Died | November 16, 2012 (aged 91) |
| Occupation(s) | Weatherman, actor, and comedian |
| Years active | 1947–2010 |
| Notable work | At The Zoo |
Biography
Sonny Eliot was born on December 5, 1920, as the youngest of seven children, into a Jewish family.[2] Elliot attended Wayne State University,[3] and served in World War II as a B-24 bomber pilot.[4] During the war he spent 18 months as a prisoner of war.[5] He became a weatherman in 1947. He was known for his jokes during broadcasts.[6]
Elliot started broadcasting Detroit weather on WWJ-TV (now WDIV-TV on channel 4) from the 1947 to 1980.[7] He later forecasted for WJBK-TV (channel 2) Detroit from 1980 to 1983,[8] and also hosted a movie series on WKBD-TV (channel 50).[9][10] He was known for his jokes during his weather broadcast and combining words together. He also hosted the Detroit show At The Zoo,[11][12] which was filmed at the Detroit Zoo. It would last 17 years,[13] and aired on WWJ-TV/WDIV-TV.[14] Elliot also appeared on many TV shows and commercials.[15]
In 2005 Elliot was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.[16] Elliot retired from broadcasting in September 2010 and died on November 16, 2012, at the age of 91.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Wayne State University hosted a tribute for Elliot.[27][3]