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{{Short description|American-Canadian businessman (1906-1975)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Charles Revson <!-- include middle initial, if not specified in birth_name -->
| name = Charles Revson
⚫
| birth_name = Charles Haskell Revson
| image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| alt =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|10|11}}
⚫
| birth_place = [[Somerville, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| caption =
⚫
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1975|08|24|1906|10|11}}
⚫
| birth_name = Charles Haskell Revson
⚫
| death_place = [[New Rochelle, New York]], U.S.
| birth_date = October 11, 1906 <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Birth-date and age|Month DD, YYYY}} -->
| education = Manchester West High School
⚫
| birth_place = [[Somerville, Massachusetts]]
| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist
⚫
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1975|008|24|1906|10|11}}
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| known_for = Founder of [[Revlon]]
⚫
| death_place = [[New Rochelle, New York]]
| relatives = Joseph Revson<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jun/17/revlon-to-buy-elizabeth-arden-870-million-dollars|title=Revlon to buy Elizabeth Arden|last=Kollewe|first=Julia|date=2016-06-17|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-08-29|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> (brother)
| nationality = American
| other_names =
⚫
| known_for = [[Revlon]]
| occupation = cosmetics magnate and businessman
}}
}}
⚫
'''Charles Haskell Revson''' (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman. He was best known for pioneering [[cosmetics]] industry executive who created and managed [[Revlon]] through five decades.


⚫
'''Charles Haskell Revson''' (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as a pioneering figure in the American [[cosmetics]] industry as the person who created the first pigment-based nail polish and founded and managed [[Revlon]] through five decades.
⚫
==Early age==


⚫
==Early years==
Revson was born in [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Massachusetts]], near [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref name=Tobias>{{cite web| url=http://www.andrewtobias.com/fireandice2.html|title=''Fire and Ice: The Story of Charles Revson - the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire'', Chapter 2 - Separating Myth from Legend|author=Andrew Tobias|accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref> He was raised in [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], after his family immigrated from [[Canada]] to the [[United States]]. His father Samuel Revson was born in [[Lithuania]] and of a [[Russian Jewish]] heritage. His mother Jeanette Weiss Revson was born in [[Austro-Hungary]] of [[German Jewish]] ancestry. His parents emigrated to Boston in the late 19th century, where they had eight other children. Jeanette died young of [[pneumonia]] in the 1920s. Jeanette Weiss Revson parent's, Saul J. and Mary Ella Greenberg Weiss, influenced and shaped many of their offspring to either marry or give birth to visionary, ambitious, and glamorous fashion, film, real estate, banking, cosmetic, and industrial icons in the 20th century. Many of the Weiss family descendants exhibited creativity that was tenaciously promoted and underscored by both perfectionism and aestheticism that was evident in Charles Revson's career.<ref name=Selig>{{cite web| url=http://www.zacharyselig.com/bio4.php| title=Zachary Selig Maternal Family Biography| author=Zachary Selig| date=2007| accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref> Revson, like many other Weiss family descendants, disassociated from most of the family of origin to fiercely create an autonomous identity.<ref name=Selig/> Yet, there were his maternal uncles and aunts, who impacted the lives of so many less fortunate family members to polish their images and achieve unparalleled standards of excellence that influenced him at a young age.<ref name=Selig/>
Revson was born in [[Somerville, Massachusetts]]<ref name=Tobias>{{cite web|url=http://www.andrewtobias.com/fireandice2.html|title=''Fire and Ice: The Story of Charles Revson - the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire'', Chapter 2 - Separating Myth from Legend|author=Andrew Tobias|accessdate=December 9, 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119093038/http://andrewtobias.com/fireandice2.html|archivedate=November 19, 2010}}</ref> after his family immigrated from Canada{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} to the United States. He was raised in [[Manchester, New Hampshire]]. His father, Samuel Revson, was born in [[Lithuania]] and of [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian-Jewish]] heritage; his mother, Jeanette Weiss Revson, in [[Austria-Hungary]] and of [[History of the Jews in Germany|German-Jewish]] background. His parents emigrated to Boston in the late 19th century where they had eight other children. Jeanette died young of pneumonia in the 1920s. Jeanette's parents, Saul J. and Mary Ella Greenberg Weiss, influenced many of their offspring to pursue success. Many of the Weiss family descendants exhibited qualities such as the perfectionism and aestheticism evident in Charles Revson's career. Revson, like many other Weiss family descendants, disassociated from most of the family of origin to create a fiercely autonomous identity.<ref name="Selig">{{cite web|author=Zachary Selig|year=2007|title=Zachary Selig Maternal Family Biography|url=http://www.zacharyselig.com/bio4.php|accessdate=December 9, 2010|archive-date=October 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003042803/http://www.zacharyselig.com/bio4.php|url-status=dead}} ''Not a valid published source''</ref>


Revson's father worked as a [[cigar]] roller in Manchester, not far from where the Revsons lived in the Squog Area, a [[French-Canadian]] neighborhood that was part of Manchester's "[[Little Canada]]". Charles Revson's parents, Samuel and Jeanette Weiss Revson,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://thepeerage.com/p20805.htm| title=Person Page - 20805| publisher=ThePeerage.com| accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref> were struggling factory workers with their family of three sons. Revson moved to Boston to live with Weiss family members<ref>{{cite web| url=http://thepeerage.com/p20804.htm| title=Person Page = 20804| publisher=ThePeerage.com| accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref> after graduating from [[Manchester High School West]].<ref name=Selig/>
Revson's father worked as a cigar roller in Manchester, not far from where the Revsons lived in the [[Neighborhoods in Manchester, New Hampshire#Piscataquog|Squog Area]], a German-American neighborhood that was part of Manchester's "West Side". Revson moved to Boston after graduating from [[Manchester High School West]].<ref name=Selig/>


==Founding of Revlon==
==Founding of Revlon==


When Elka, the cosmetics company he worked for, did not promote him to the position of national distributor, Revson decided to go into business for himself.<ref name=Tobias/> Beginning in 1932, the company specialized in [[nail polish]], offering a wider variety of colors than had been currently available. It was marketed through [[beauty salon]]s and, later, department stores. Revlon Cosmetics then introduced matching [[lipstick]]s and entered the [[perfume]] and fragrance market with great success. Revson served as president of the firm from 1932 to 1962, and then as chairman until his death in 1975.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
When Elka, the cosmetics company he worked for, did not promote him to the position of national distributor, Revson decided to go into business for himself.<ref name=Tobias/>


==Quiz show scandals==
===Quiz show scandals===
⚫
In the mid-1950s, Revlon sponsored the quiz show ''[[The $64,000 Question]]'', which became a television phenomenon and boosted sales considerably. Revson and his brother Martin, second in charge at the company, allegedly demanded that the producers control the questions in order to keep popular contestants winning and maintain the program's high ratings. This sparked what later became known as the [[quiz show scandal]], as ''The $64,000 Question'', ''The Challenge'' and ''[[Twenty One (game show)|Twenty One]]'' led to the duplication of the producers' and sponsors' dubious methods to ensure a large viewership.<ref name="Tobias, Ch. 13">Tobias, Ch. 13</ref>


⚫
Steve Carlin, executive producer of Entertainment Productions, Inc., which produced ''The $64,000 Question'' and ''The $64,000 Challenge'', was called to testify before Congress about the rigging of the TV quiz shows. He said that Revson demanded the shows be rigged to ensure high ratings. "There is a tradition in television...of trying to please the client," Carlin testified. "We were willing to please the client." Though they testified, neither Charles nor Martin Revson ever became the subjects of an official inquiry. The scandal effectively killed the quiz show phenomenon, but by that time, Revlon had vastly increased its market share and was established as an international behemoth in its niche.<ref name="Tobias, Ch. 13"/>
⚫
In the mid-1950s the company sponsored the quiz show ''[[The $64,000 Question]]'', which became a television phenomenon and boosted sales considerably. Revson and his brother Martin, second in charge at the company, allegedly demanded that the producers control the questions in order to keep them winning and maintain the program's high ratings. This sparked what later became known as the [[quiz show scandal]], as the ''The $64,000 Question'', ''The Challenge'' and ''[[Twenty One (game show)|Twenty One]]'' led to the duplication of the producers' and sponsors' dubious methods to ensure a large viewership.<ref name="Tobias, Ch. 13">Tobias, Ch. 13</ref>

⚫
Steve Carlin, executive producer of Entertainment Productions, Inc., which produced ''The $64,000 Question'' and ''The $64,000 Challenge'', was called to testify before Congress about the rigging of the TV quiz shows. He said that Revlon demanded the shows be rigged to ensure high ratings. "There is a tradition in television...of trying to please the client," Carlin testified. "We were willing to please the client." Though they testified, neither Charles nor Martin Revson ever became the subjects of an official inquiry. By the time the quiz show phenomenon was over, killed by the revelations, Revlon had vastly increased its market share and was established as an international behemoth in its niche.<ref name="Tobias, Ch. 13"/>

==Personality==

Charles H. Revson was a hard-driven perfectionist whose overbearing, imperious personality led most of his business partners to sever their connections with him by 1965. [[Revlon]] Cosmetics, however, was phenomenally successful, and when Revson died, he reportedly was a [[billionaire]].


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Charles Revson was married three times. His first was brief. His second was to Johanna C Ancky Johnson, producing sons John and Charles H. Revson, Jr., and an adopted daughter, Penelope. He had 5 grandchildren: Jill Revson, Charles H. Revson III and Alexander Revson. He married a third time to Lyn Revson (who in the 1980s was a subject of portraits by [[Andy Warhol]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/quick_search/query?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=revson|title=Exchange{{!}}Search: revson|website=exchange.umma.umich.edu|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> He also had an affair with actress/singer [[Eartha Kitt]].


Charles Revson was married three times. His first marriage was brief. His second marriage was to Ancky Revson, where they had two sons John Revson and Charles Revson, Jr. He married a third time to [[Lyn Revson]], and adopted her two sons from her former marriage.He was also having an affair with actress/singer [[Eartha Kitt]]. His nephew, son of Martin Revson, [[Peter Revson]], and [[Formula One]] racecar driver, predeceased him in 1974. Peter Revson's younger brother Doug Revson died before him in a racecar accident in Denmark in 1967. Peter was engaged to 1973 [[Miss World]], [[Marjorie Wallace]] 14 days before his fatal accident in practice for the 1974 South African Grand Prix. Martin Revson's youngest daughter Jennifer Revson perpetuates [[Peter Revson]]'s legacy today.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.f1pulse.com/drivers/Peter_Revson/403A43/drivers_profile.aspx| title=Peter Revson| publisher=F1Pulse.com| accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref>
His nephew, [[Peter Revson]], a Formula One racecar driver and son of his brother Martin, died in 1974. Peter's younger brother Doug died before him in a racecar accident in Denmark in 1967. Peter was engaged to 1973 [[Miss World]], [[Marjorie Wallace]] 14 days before his fatal accident in practice for the 1974 South African Grand Prix.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.f1pulse.com/drivers/Peter_Revson/403A43/drivers_profile.aspx| title=Peter Revson| publisher=F1Pulse.com| accessdate=December 9, 2010}}</ref>


Revson was a frequent customer of master [[bespoke tailoring|tailor]] William Fioravanti at 45 West 57th Street, ordering around a dozen suits a year; Revson later invested in the business.<ref name="POWER TAILOR">{{cite web |last1=Puri |first1=Manish |title=WILLIAM FIORAVANTI: THE POWER TAILOR |url=https://www.permanentstyle.com/2023/05/william-fioravanti-the-power-tailor.html |publisher=Permanent Style |date=May 1, 2023}}</ref>
⚫
Revson died on August 24, 1975 at his home in [[New Rochelle, New York]]. <ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20D1EFD3458157493C7AB1783D85F418785F9&scp=1&sq=charles+revson+dies&st=p Obituary - New York Times]</ref>


⚫
Revson died on August 24, 1975, at his home in [[Premium Point, New Rochelle]], New York.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/25/archives/charles-revson-of-the-revlon-empire-dies.html?sq=charles+revson+dies&scp=1&st=p Obituary - New York Times]</ref>
==Quotes==


⚫
==Philanthropy==
"Look, kiddie. I built this business by being a bastard. I run it by being a bastard. I'll always be a bastard, and don't you ever try to change me." &mdash;Charles Revson to a senior executive in the company


⚫
In 1956, Revson established the [[Charles H. Revson Foundation]], which he funded with over $10 million during his lifetime. The foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving the [[Judaism|Jewish]] community, mostly located in New York. Upon his death, Revson endowed the foundation with $68 million from his estate and granted the board of directors the discretion to chart the foundation's future course. In 1978, the foundation began a formal [[grant (money)|grantmaking]] process, and since that time, it has disbursed a total of $145 million in grants and its endowment has grown from $68 million to $141 million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.revsonfoundation.org/about.htm |title=Revson Foundation |access-date=2007-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630034805/http://www.revsonfoundation.org/about.htm |archive-date=2007-06-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
"In the factory we make cosmetics; in the drugstore we sell hope."


== Legacy ==
"I don't meet the competition, I destroy it."
Revson was a character in the [[Doug Wright]]-[[Scott Frankel]]-[[Michael Korie]] musical [[War Paint (musical)|''War Paint'']] based on Lindy Woodhead's book of the same name and ''The Powder and the Glory'' documentary. [[Erik Liberman]] played Revson in both the [[Goodman Theatre]] and [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions, as well as on the original cast recording, opposite [[Patti LuPone]] as [[Helena Rubinstein]] and [[Christine Ebersole]] as [[Elizabeth Arden]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jacobs|first=Alexandra|date=2017-03-29|title=Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole and Broadway's Friendliest Feud (Published 2017)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/theater/patti-lupone-christine-ebersole-war-paint-broadway.html|access-date=2020-11-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Oxman|first=Steven|date=2016-07-19|title=Chicago Theater Review: 'War Paint' Starring Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole|url=https://variety.com/2016/legit/reviews/war-paint-review-patti-lupone-chicago-1201816611/|access-date=2020-11-06|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=May 25, 2017|title=Exclusive: Listen to Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Sing War Paint's 'Face to Face'|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/exclusive-listen-to-patti-lupone-and-christine-ebersole-sing-war-paints-face-to-face|access-date=2020-11-06|website=Playbill|language=en}}</ref>


Designed by [[Philip Johnson]] Associates, [[Revson Fountain]] at Lincoln Center was dedicated on April 7, 1964,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M232/monuments/1326|title=Lincoln Center Plaza Monuments - Revson Fountain : NYC Parks|website=Nycgovparks.org|accessdate=21 March 2019|archive-date=21 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321192440/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M232/monuments/1326|url-status=live}}</ref> and was funded by the [[Revlon|Revlon Foundation]] in 1962.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/16/arts/lincoln-center-gets-gift-of-25-million.html|title=Lincoln Center Gets Gift of $25 Million|first=Ralph|last=Blumenthal|date=September 16, 1998|accessdate=March 21, 2019|website=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=March 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321192443/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/16/arts/lincoln-center-gets-gift-of-25-million.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
⚫
==Philanthropy==


⚫
In 1956, Revson established the [[Charles H. Revson Foundation]], which he funded with over $10 million dollars during his lifetime. The foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving the [[Judaism|Jewish]] community, mostly located in New York. Upon his death, Revson endowed the foundation with $68 million from his estate and granted the board of directors the discretion to chart the foundation's future course. In 1978, the foundation began a formal [[grant (money)|grantmaking]] process, and since that time, it has disbursed a total of $145 million in grants and its endowment has grown from $68 million to $141 million.<ref>[http://www.revsonfoundation.org/about.htm Revson Foundation]</ref>


==Trivia==


⚫
{{Portal|Biography}}
The 1976 film [[Network (film)|Network]] used Revson's obituary in the [[New York Times]] from August 25, 1975 as the template for the fictional obituary for the character Edward Ruddy, with the title, byline (Enid Nemy being replaced by Sandra Blake), photograph and first paragraph being the only changes.<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20D1EFD3458157493C7AB1783D85F418785F9&scp=1&sq=charles+revson+dies&st=p New York Times, 25 August, 1975]</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
⚫
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{Find a Grave|866}}
* {{Find a Grave|866}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=30893632}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Revson, Charles
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = October 11, 1906
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = August 24, 1975
| PLACE OF DEATH = New Rochelle, New york


}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revson, Charles}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revson, Charles}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of Canadian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American company founders]]
[[Category:American cosmetics businesspeople]]
[[Category:American nonprofit businesspeople]]
[[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American retail chief executives]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from New York]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from New Hampshire]]
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[[Category:Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York]]
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[[Category:Charles H. Revson Foundation]]
[[Category:People from Manchester, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:People from Manchester, New Hampshire]]
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[[Category:People from New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:People from Somerville, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Somerville, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)]]

[[Category:Retail company founders]]

[[Category:Revlon]]

[[Category:Revson family]]

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[[de:Charles Revson]]
[[ru:Ревсон, Чарльз]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 4 January 2025

Charles Revson
Born
Charles Haskell Revson

(1906-10-11)October 11, 1906
Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 24, 1975(1975-08-24) (aged 68)
New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
EducationManchester West High School
Occupation(s)Businessman, philanthropist
Known forFounder of Revlon
RelativesJoseph Revson[1] (brother)

Charles Haskell Revson (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as a pioneering figure in the American cosmetics industry as the person who created the first pigment-based nail polish and founded and managed Revlon through five decades.

Early years

[edit]

Revson was born in Somerville, Massachusetts[2] after his family immigrated from Canada[citation needed] to the United States. He was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. His father, Samuel Revson, was born in Lithuania and of Lithuanian-Jewish heritage; his mother, Jeanette Weiss Revson, in Austria-Hungary and of German-Jewish background. His parents emigrated to Boston in the late 19th century where they had eight other children. Jeanette died young of pneumonia in the 1920s. Jeanette's parents, Saul J. and Mary Ella Greenberg Weiss, influenced many of their offspring to pursue success. Many of the Weiss family descendants exhibited qualities such as the perfectionism and aestheticism evident in Charles Revson's career. Revson, like many other Weiss family descendants, disassociated from most of the family of origin to create a fiercely autonomous identity.[3]

Revson's father worked as a cigar roller in Manchester, not far from where the Revsons lived in the Squog Area, a German-American neighborhood that was part of Manchester's "West Side". Revson moved to Boston after graduating from Manchester High School West.[3]

Founding of Revlon

[edit]

When Elka, the cosmetics company he worked for, did not promote him to the position of national distributor, Revson decided to go into business for himself.[2]

Quiz show scandals

[edit]

In the mid-1950s, Revlon sponsored the quiz show The $64,000 Question, which became a television phenomenon and boosted sales considerably. Revson and his brother Martin, second in charge at the company, allegedly demanded that the producers control the questions in order to keep popular contestants winning and maintain the program's high ratings. This sparked what later became known as the quiz show scandal, as The $64,000 Question, The Challenge and Twenty One led to the duplication of the producers' and sponsors' dubious methods to ensure a large viewership.[4]

Steve Carlin, executive producer of Entertainment Productions, Inc., which produced The $64,000 Question and The $64,000 Challenge, was called to testify before Congress about the rigging of the TV quiz shows. He said that Revson demanded the shows be rigged to ensure high ratings. "There is a tradition in television...of trying to please the client," Carlin testified. "We were willing to please the client." Though they testified, neither Charles nor Martin Revson ever became the subjects of an official inquiry. The scandal effectively killed the quiz show phenomenon, but by that time, Revlon had vastly increased its market share and was established as an international behemoth in its niche.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

Charles Revson was married three times. His first was brief. His second was to Johanna C Ancky Johnson, producing sons John and Charles H. Revson, Jr., and an adopted daughter, Penelope. He had 5 grandchildren: Jill Revson, Charles H. Revson III and Alexander Revson. He married a third time to Lyn Revson (who in the 1980s was a subject of portraits by Andy Warhol).[5] He also had an affair with actress/singer Eartha Kitt.

His nephew, Peter Revson, a Formula One racecar driver and son of his brother Martin, died in 1974. Peter's younger brother Doug died before him in a racecar accident in Denmark in 1967. Peter was engaged to 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Wallace 14 days before his fatal accident in practice for the 1974 South African Grand Prix.[6]

Revson was a frequent customer of master tailor William Fioravanti at 45 West 57th Street, ordering around a dozen suits a year; Revson later invested in the business.[7]

Revson died on August 24, 1975, at his home in Premium Point, New Rochelle, New York.[8]

Philanthropy

[edit]

In 1956, Revson established the Charles H. Revson Foundation, which he funded with over $10 million during his lifetime. The foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving the Jewish community, mostly located in New York. Upon his death, Revson endowed the foundation with $68 million from his estate and granted the board of directors the discretion to chart the foundation's future course. In 1978, the foundation began a formal grantmaking process, and since that time, it has disbursed a total of $145 million in grants and its endowment has grown from $68 million to $141 million.[9]

Legacy

[edit]

Revson was a character in the Doug Wright-Scott Frankel-Michael Korie musical War Paint based on Lindy Woodhead's book of the same name and The Powder and the Glory documentary. Erik Liberman played Revson in both the Goodman Theatre and Broadway productions, as well as on the original cast recording, opposite Patti LuPone as Helena Rubinstein and Christine Ebersole as Elizabeth Arden.[10][11][12]

Designed by Philip Johnson Associates, Revson Fountain at Lincoln Center was dedicated on April 7, 1964,[13] and was funded by the Revlon Foundation in 1962.[14]


References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kollewe, Julia (2016-06-17). "Revlon to buy Elizabeth Arden". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  2. ^ a b Andrew Tobias. "Fire and Ice: The Story of Charles Revson - the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire, Chapter 2 - Separating Myth from Legend". Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Zachary Selig (2007). "Zachary Selig Maternal Family Biography". Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2010. Not a valid published source
  4. ^ a b Tobias, Ch. 13
  5. ^ "Exchange|Search: revson". exchange.umma.umich.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  6. ^ "Peter Revson". F1Pulse.com. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  7. ^ Puri, Manish (May 1, 2023). "WILLIAM FIORAVANTI: THE POWER TAILOR". Permanent Style.
  8. ^ Obituary - New York Times
  9. ^ "Revson Foundation". Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  10. ^ Jacobs, Alexandra (2017-03-29). "Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole and Broadway's Friendliest Feud (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  11. ^ Oxman, Steven (2016-07-19). "Chicago Theater Review: 'War Paint' Starring Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole". Variety. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  12. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 25, 2017). "Exclusive: Listen to Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Sing War Paint's 'Face to Face'". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  13. ^ "Lincoln Center Plaza Monuments - Revson Fountain : NYC Parks". Nycgovparks.org. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  14. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (September 16, 1998). "Lincoln Center Gets Gift of $25 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
[edit]
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