Sy Kravitz is a name that resonates vividly in the movie world. Beyond the spotlight that often accompanies his renowned son, Lenny Kravitz lies a story that spans decades, replete with achievements, tribulations and pursuit of redemption.
From his ventures as a US Army soldier to his pivotal role in the television industry, Sy Kravitz’s journey is one marked by both public achievements and private struggles.
Sy Kravitz biography
Seymour “Sy” Kravitz was born on December 10, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.
He attended Beverly Hills High School. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1946.
Kravitz had a background as a US military officer before making the transition to a TV producer role. He held the position of a TV producer at the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
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Sy Kravitz career
Kravitz served as a soldier in the US Army before entering the world of entertainment as a TV producer. He enlisted in the US Army after completing his university education. He joined the service as a Green Beret and gradually progressed to the rank of sergeant. Kravitz actively participated in both the Second World War and the Korean War.
Alongside his military role, he also took on the role of a news reporter during the Vietnam War. After dedicating a significant portion of his adult life to military service, he embarked on a new journey in TV production. He was recruited by NBC to oversee video production and development.
Kravitz subsequently emerged as a prominent figure in the field of news production and was even featured in the documentary “Sid Bernstein Presents” in 2010.
Sy Kravitz’s net worth
Although Kravitz’s net worth is not known, his son has an estimated net worth of $90 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Sy Kravitz Family
Kravitz’s parents were Jean Kaufman and Joseph Kravitz. Joseph worked for a telecommunication company, whilst Jean assumed the role of a housewife. The family resided in Brooklyn, where Kravitz and his younger brother, Leonardo Martin Kravitz, were raised.
The two siblings shared a close-knit childhood and even served in the military together. The family, however, lost Leonard, who was born on August 8, 1930, on March 7, 1951, during the Korean War.
Sy Kravitz went through two marriages before his demise. His initial marriage was to a lady named Erica. Unlike Kravitz, Erica had no association with the media world. Nevertheless, historical records indicate that the couple exchanged vows at some point in 1948.
They remained wedded for seven years before parting ways. Their union was blessed with two daughters – Laurie and Tedi Kravitz. They divorced in 1955. The court granted Erica complete custody of their two daughters but allowed Kravitz visitation rights and stipulated that he provided child support.
After remaining single for the subsequent seven years, Kravitz chose to venture into matrimony once again. He crossed paths with and developed an affection for Roxie Roker, an American actress, television personality and news anchor celebrated for her portrayal of “Helen Willis” on the CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons. Roker was born in Miami, Florida, on August 28, 1929, and passed away from breast cancer on December 2, 1995, at the age of 66 in Los Angeles, California.
Roker and Kravitz exchanged marital vows in a wedding ceremony in 1962. Following their union, they became one of the pioneering interracial couples in America. However, the marriage between Kravitz and Roker encountered unique challenges. Roxie, of Bahamian heritage, was a black woman, whereas Kravitz was a white Jewish man. Despite the societal pressures they encountered, the couple managed to uphold their marriage for the subsequent 23 years.
During this period, they welcomed their sole child, Lenny Kravitz, on May 26, 1964, in Manhattan, New York. Lenny’s name was bestowed in memory of his father’s late brother, who lost his life during the Korean War.
Although the second marriage, involving the actress, appeared relatively more stable than the initial one, Kravitz and Roker began facing significant difficulties in due course. The marriage ended like the first marriage. Reports suggest that their union was marred by an episode of infidelity, resulting in their divorce in 1985, after 23 years of marriage.
While the couple did not publicly disclose the precise reasons for their divorce, their son, Lenny, in a memoir released in October 2020, shared some insights into his parents’ marital journey. According to Lenny, during his early 20s, he overheard his father conversing with his mistress over the telephone and he subsequently informed his mother.
Lenny recounted that this news shattered his mother’s heart and she also revealed to him that Kravitz had been unfaithful throughout their marital life. The alleged mistress was an employee at their bank. Roker engaged a private investigator who compiled an assortment of evidence that compelled Kravitz to admit to his infidelity. This evidence included a compilation of photographs and copies of plane tickets to Paris.
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Sy Kravitz children
Kravitz had two children from his first wife – Laurie and Tedi. He had one from his second wife, Leonard Albert Kravitz. Leonard “Lenny” Albert Kravitz is the most famous of the three children.
Leonard Albert Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz, born on May 26, 1964, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. His musical style incorporates elements from a range of genres, including rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz clinched the Grammy Award for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” for four consecutive years, spanning from 1999 to 2002. It is an accomplishment that established a record for the most wins in that category and set a benchmark for the most successive wins in one category by a male artist.
His accomplishments extend to nominations and award wins in other prestigious ceremonies, including the American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards, and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
Among Kravitz’s chart-topping singles are It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over (1991) and Again (2000), both of which secured positions in the top 10 of the Billboard Top 100 chart.
Further hits include Let Love Rule (1989), Always on the Run (1991), Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993), Fly Away (1998) and American Woman (1999). Kravitz secured the 93rd position on VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” list. Throughout his career, he has amassed a global album sales figure exceeding $40 million.
In recognition of his artistic contributions, he was appointed an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. Kravitz also featured as “Cinna” in the Hunger Games film series.
Sy Kravitz and Leonard Albert Kravitz
Despite the outward appearance of a harmonious family, Sy Kravitz fell short of being an exemplary husband and father. His relationship with his wife, Roker, was marred by turbulence, and he also encountered strains in his rapport with his son, Lenny.
According to Lenny, he and his father maintained a distance and described his father as a stern disciplinarian. This stemmed from his father’s rigorous parenting style. Beyond the stringent disciplinary measures at home, Lenny disclosed that he once sensed his father’s potential envy towards him and his mother’s flourishing careers.
As a result, he grew closer to his mother and became rather a “mama’s boy”. When Lenny was 16, a confrontation with his father prompted him to leave the family home. He and his father officially went their separate ways but before he left, they had a final family conversation during which Roker asked Kravitz if he had any words for their son.
Kravitz reportedly responded: “You’ll do it too”, suggesting that he believed his son would inevitably follow in his footsteps of marital infidelity.
His relationship with his father remained complex until the point when Kravitz’s health significantly deteriorated. It was during this phase that they eventually found common ground and established the type of relationship that Lenny had always desired with his father. In his 2020 memoir, titled: “Let Love Rule,” Lenny recounts certain aspects of his late parents’ relationship.
They reconciled and rekindled a close bond, albeit for a brief period before Kravitz’s passing. According to Lenny, it marked the most positive time they ever shared.
Sy Kravitz age
Kravitz was born on December 10, 1924. He was 80 years old at the time of his death.
Sy Kravitz now
Sy Kravitz passed away on October 29, 2005, in a hospital in New York City. He succumbed to leukaemia at the age of 80, just a few weeks before his 81st birthday.
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