EVEN before the first television set in Australia had been switched on, Reg Grundy's talent for making millions from the medium signalled itself early. 
In the fine print of a school report card belonging to the man who would later be regarded as "the father of Australian TV" one headmaster noted his pioneering potential, writing: "this boy has ideas and is able to execute them." From game show formats, to groundbreaking drama series, exporting programming to savvy media investments - Grundy (pictured) had ideas to burn, across a 60-plus year career which not only made him a billionaire, but etched his name forever in local showbiz history.
His death, at the age of 92, in the arms of his beloved wife, Joy Chambers, at their luxury estate in Bermuda on Saturday, marked the end of the extraordinary life of an ordinary visionary whose TV credits included local hits such as Prisoner, The Restless Years and Neighbours; and who revelled in telling Australian stories, just not being the story.
In front of the camera, he was one of the first men to appear on box; but behind the scenes he made his fortune and the careers of some of the biggest stars of both yesteryear and today.
Many of those indebted to Grundy paid tribute to him yesterday, after news of his death was broken.
Ian Hogg, chief executive of FremantleMedia Australia (which still counts Grundy Productions' including Neighbours and Family Feud on its current slate), eulogised the entrepreneur as a "national treasure" whose legacy was "insurmountable".Mr Hogg said: "generations of Australians have grown up with and been touched by a Grundy Production."