Ron Popeil
| Ron Popeil | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ronald M. Popeil May 3, 1935 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Inventor, infomercial salesman |
| Known for | Ronco, infomercials |
| Spouse(s) |
Marilyn Greene (m. 1956; div. 1963) Lisa Boehne (m. 19??; div. 19??) Robin Angers (m. 1995) |
| Children | 5 |
Ronald M. "Ron" Popeil (/poʊˈpiːl/; born May 3, 1935) is an American inventor and marketing personality, best known for his direct response marketing company Ronco. He is well known for his appearances in infomercials for the Showtime Rotisserie ("Set it, and forget it!") and for using the phrase, "But wait, there's more!" on television as early as the mid-1950s.
Popeil was born to a Jewish family in New York City in 1935. When he was 6 his parents divorced and he and his brother went to live in Florida with their grandparents. At age 17 in 1952, Ron went with his grandparents to work for his father, Samuel Popeil, at his company's (Popeil Brothers) manufacturing facility in Chicago. His grandparents later returned to Florida and Ron remained with his father.
Popeil learned his trade from his father, who was also an inventor and salesman of numerous kitchen-related gadgets such as the Chop-O-Matic and the Veg-O-Matic to major department stores. The Chop-O-Matic retailed for US$3.98 and sold over two million units. It indirectly spurred Ron Popeil's move into television, as it was so efficient at chopping vegetables it was impractical for salesmen to carry all they needed for their pitches. The solution was to tape the demonstration. Once done, the leap to infomercial followed.
Ron initially operated as a distributor of his father's kitchen products and later formed his own company (Ronco) in 1964. He continued as a distributor for his father and added additional products from other manufacturers. Ron and his father (Samuel) became competitors in the 1970s for the same retail store business.
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