From Studios to Stables: The Life and Family of Lennart Ringquist

Basic Information

A Professional Life at the Crossroads of Screen and Stable

Lennart Ringquist’s career cut a broad arc across American media and sport. He came of age professionally when television was turning from novelty to fixture, and his résumé reads like a guided tour through the nerve centers of mid-century entertainment: network television, film studios, and the agencies that tied everything together. Later, his interests widened to the thunder of hooves and the calculus of bloodlines, marking him as both entertainment executive and horseman—a dual identity uncommon yet fitting for a man comfortable behind the scenes, where the real decisions get made.

He is best remembered in public accounts as an executive who did the patient, unglamorous work of building rosters, managing relationships, and shepherding projects. If stars are constellations, Ringquist lived among the astronomers—those who plot the orbits and keep the lights aligned. That same attention to structure and timing would serve him well in the world of thoroughbreds, where pedigrees and preparation matter as much as the finish-line photo.

Early Years and Industry Footing

Born on May 6, 1930, Ringquist stepped into a century defined by broadcast signals and studio gates. By the time he entered the workforce, television was exploding, and regional stations like WBZ-TV in Boston offered real responsibility to people who could juggle technology, talent, and schedules. From there, the path runs through the major arteries of American entertainment—NBC and ABC on the network side, Samuel Goldwyn Productions and Four Star International on the studio side, and connective tissue companies such as General Artists/Creative Management Associates and John Blair & Company.

While individual job titles and dates are not widely published, the pattern is clear: Ringquist worked where content met commerce. Networks demanded a programming vision; agencies demanded people skills; studios demanded patience and a long view. Those who crossed these worlds successfully were translators—fluent in the language of creatives and the dialect of executives.

Networks, Studios, and the Business of Story

To understand Ringquist’s milieu, imagine the golden triangle of mid-century media: networks that needed reliable, scalable programming; studios that could produce it at speed; and management firms that brokered talent and opportunity. ABC and NBC anchored the airwaves; Samuel Goldwyn Productions and Four Star International developed and delivered the product; agencies and management houses turned negotiations into long-term careers.

Operating inside this triangle requires a steady hand. Programming slates shift, stars rise and dim, and formats ebb and flow. Executive work is often a game of inches: a slightly better timeslot, a tightened budget, the right sponsor, the deft phone call at the right hour. By all indications, Ringquist’s career thrived in this pragmatic realm, where judgment matters more than headline roles and where reliability is currency.

Horses, Bloodlines, and a Second Arena

Ringquist’s later reputation included ownership and breeding in thoroughbred racing—a field that, like television, rewards those who plan for the long arc. The disciplines share a quiet symmetry: in both, long preparation leads to short, decisive performances. A race lasts two minutes; a season’s ratings can hinge on a few key weekends. Behind the scenes, however, months and years of work determine the outcome.

His connection to horse racing was personal as well as professional. He moved in circles where the thoroughbred world was family conversation, not just sport-page copy. Over time, he became known in public references as an owner/breeder, a sign that the sidelines had become a second home.

Marriage to Penny Chenery

In the mid-1970s, Ringquist married Penny Chenery, one of the most recognizable figures in American horse racing. Best known as the owner and breeder of Secretariat—the 1973 Triple Crown champion—Chenery embodied the public face of a sport that often keeps its cards close to the vest. Their marriage placed Ringquist adjacent to the upper tiers of racing at a time when the sport still captured national attention. The union ended in divorce by 1980, yet his association with racing didn’t fade; it continued as part of his public identity.

Marriage to May Britt

On May 20, 1993, Ringquist married Swedish actress May Britt. Her life story spans mid-century European cinema, Hollywood in its most scrutinized years, and the resilient arc of a performer who carved out space in an unforgiving industry. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2017. Friends and public notices alike describe a partnership rooted in creative circles, private steadiness, and the shared experience of careers that valued craft over spectacle.

Family and Personal Notes

Public memorials for Ringquist reference stepchildren, including a stepson named Jon. Broader family details appear in community genealogies and memorial pages rather than major press, a sign of a life that intersected with celebrity while guarding its private edges. He spent his later years in the Los Angeles area, the natural home of so much of his professional life and a hub for the entertainment circles he navigated for decades.

Those who knew the business he worked in recognize the shape of such a career: not the marquee credit but the indispensable hand; not the headline, but the dependable line-item that makes the headline possible. In both entertainment and horse racing, the scoreboard is public, but the scaffolding behind it is built by people like Lennart Ringquist.

Timeline at a Glance

Selected Professional Touchpoints

• Broadcast and network: WBZ-TV (Boston), NBC, ABC
• Film and television production: Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Four Star International, Disney
• Talent/management and media services: General Artists/Creative Management Associates, John Blair & Company, Metromedia

These affiliations map to a career spent aligning talent, programs, and platforms—an executive’s craft honed across decades of rapid change.

Name, Identity, and Place

Public records and memorials most commonly present his full name as Axel Lennart Ringquist, with “Lennart” or “Len” used in common reference. He was based in the United States and identified especially with the Los Angeles area later in life. The name itself hints at Scandinavian roots, while the career is unmistakably American—born of broadcast schedules, studio lots, and the tireless work of getting a show from idea to airtime.

FAQ

Who was Lennart Ringquist?

An American entertainment executive and thoroughbred owner/breeder, active from the early television era through the late twentieth century.

When was he born and when did he die?

He was born on May 6, 1930, and died on January 20, 2017, at age 86.

What did he do professionally?

He worked in executive and management roles across television networks, film and TV production companies, and talent/management firms.

Was he involved in horse racing?

Yes, he became known as a thoroughbred owner and breeder and moved in prominent racing circles.

Who were his spouses?

He married Penny Chenery in the mid-1970s (divorced by 1980) and married actress May Britt on May 20, 1993.

Did he have children?

Public memorials mention stepchildren, including a stepson named Jon; broader lists of biological children are not widely published.

Where did he live?

He was based in the United States and lived in the Los Angeles area later in life.