Biography
Lew Grade, Baron Grade, was a Russian-born British media proprietor, impresario and film and television producer. Born Lev Winogradsky on 25 December 1906 in Tokmak, he emigrated to London as a child. He began as a dancer and talent agent before founding the Incorporated Television Company (ITC Entertainment) in 1954.
Grade produced numerous television series for the international market, including Thunderbirds, The Prisoner and The Muppet Show. He later moved into feature films through ITC, with credits including Autumn Sonata (1978) and Raise the Titanic (1980). Several costly film failures led to the loss of control of ITC. He was knighted in 1969 and created a life peer in 1976. Grade died in London on 13 December 1998.
