Richard Ney(1916-2004)

A Columbia University grad with an economics degree, Richard Ney was sidetracked into stage and films. For his movie debut, Ney was cast as Greer Garson's eldest son in the Oscar-winning Madame Miniver (1942). He later married Garson, twelve years his senior and drawing criticism during their 1947 divorce proceedings, when it was alleged that he had derided her for being old. One does not malign an icon like Greer Garson, and Ney suffered for the divorce with a series of inferior films made both in Hollywood and Europe, the nadir being 1953's horrendous Babes in Bagdad (1952). Ney forsook acting for good in 1961 to become a prominent stock market analyst and financial consultant. He gained nationwide fame in 1962 for accurately predicting the stock market crash of that year. He also wrote several best-selling books on the subject of Wall Street, and was a frequent talk-show guest and financial-advice show host.