Leonard Ross

Leonard "Lenny" M. Ross, (July 7, 1945 – May 1, 1985) was an American teacher, lawyer, and government official who was famous for his celebrity as a child prodigy and television game show contestant. Ross's game show winnings, totaling $164,000 , were for two months in the spring of 1957 the highest ever earned on a United States television game show.

Early years Ross was born to Pauline Ross on July 7, 1945. At 10 years, he became known as the who won $100,000 on The Big Surprise, a television quiz show. As a prize, he became the first guest to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. At 11 years, on February 10, 1957, The appointment was to last six years, but Ross resigned after just two.

In total, Ross co-wrote or wrote three books on economics, articles for the New York Review of Books and The New York Times,

After his death, a psychiatrist who had treated Ross remarked, "the early fame and brilliant success of his youth ruined him. Being a child prodigy is an enormously powerful event that disrupts normal development."

Ross never married and left no children. He is remembered as a "true genius, a sweet, likable, and generous man."