Introduction
Irvin Feld (April 19, 1918 – September 6, 1984) was an American businessman. He was the head of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and founder of Feld Entertainment. He was a music promoter who is credited with discovering Paul Anka.
Biography
He was born on April 19, 1918 in Hagerstown, Maryland to Russian-Jewish immigrants. After ten years as one of several national promoters for the Ringling Circus, Feld, along with his brother Israel Feld and Houston Judge Roy Hofheinz bought it on November 11, 1967 for $8 million. In 1968, he began the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He sold the circus to Mattel in 1971 for $50 million in Mattel stock. He bought it back from Mattel in 1982.
He died on September 6, 1984, at age 66 in Venice, Florida.
Personal life and legacy
In 1946, he married Adele Feld. In 1958 she committed suicide. The circus passed to his son Kenneth Feld, who had joined the company in 1970. In 1987, he was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame.