Edward Lasker (businessman)

Edward Lasker (May 15, 1912 – July 11, 1997) was an American heir, film producer, and Thoroughbred racehorse owner. After graduating from college in 1933 he worked for his father's prominent Chicago advertising agency until entering the U.S. military for service during World War II in 1942. He later relocated to Los Angeles, became a film producer, went to law school in his 40s, and long served on the board of two prominent industrial and banking corporations.

Biography
Lasker was one of the three children of Albert Davis Lasker (1880–1952) and Flora (ne Warner). Lasker was the owner of Lord & Thomas, a highly successful Chicago advertising agency, and the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise. His sisters are Mary Lasker Block (1904–1981) and Frances Lasker Brody (1916–2009).

In 1929, Lasker became involved in thoroughbred horse racing as an owner/breeder. He graduated from Yale University in 1933. He then joined his father's advertising agency and worked there until 1942, when he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific. After the war (by which time his father had left the advertising business), Lasker moved to California, where he became a film producer in Hollywood.

In 1952, at age forty, he enrolled at the University of California in Los Angeles to study law. He graduated in 1955 and began practicing, going on to serve for many years on the boards of directors of Phillip Morris, Inc. and Great Western Financial.

Personal life
In 1935 Lasker married Gimbels department-store heiress Caral Gimbel (daughter of Bernard Gimbel), who joined him as a race horse owner. The marriage ended in divorce and Caral wed baseball star Hank Greenberg in 1946.

In 1947, Lasker married actress Jane Greer, with whom he had three children: Alex and Lawrence Lasker (both screenwriters and producers) and Steven Lasker. In 1963, Lasker married Cynthia Stone Palmer.

Lasker died in Los Angeles on July 11, 1997, aged 85.