Ted Mann (April 16, 1916 – January 15, 2001) was an American businessman involved in the film industry and head of Mann Theatres. In 1973, he purchased the National General Theatre chain and changed the name of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which was a part of the chain, to Mann's Chinese Theater.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family in Wishek, North Dakota, Mann started off in the movie business as an usher around the time he attended the University of Minnesota in the 1930s. He rented the Selby Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for $100 a month running it as a one-man shop serving as ticket seller and projectionist.
Philanthropy
In 1984, he founded the Ted Mann Foundation which contributed to the Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Clubs, United Way, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the United Jewish Fund, Operation Exodus, and the Jerusalem Foundation. Before their divorce, Ted and Ida had two daughters. He married actress Rhonda Fleming in 1977, and they remained together until Mann died at age 84 in Los Angeles of complications from a stroke.