Wilkerson was born on September 29, 1890, in
Nashville, Tennessee. He began to study medicine in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but when his father died leaving extensive gambling debts, Wilkerson quit school to support himself and his mother. He became a compulsive gambler himself, but quit when his son was born in October 1951. Wilkerson was in relatively poor health throughout the latter half of the 1950s due to decades of excessive smoking. He continued to head
The Hollywood Reporter and write his daily "Tradeviews" column until shortly before his death. Wilkerson died of a
heart attack on September 2, 1962, at his
Bel-Air home, one day before
The Hollywood Reporters 32nd anniversary. He is interred at
Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. Wilkerson was married six times. His wives were: • Helen Durkin - probably around 1913 or 1914 - probably New York or
Fort Lee, New Jersey - Durkin died in the
Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918. • Edith Gwynn Goldenhorn - June 22, 1927 -
Los Angeles, CA - August 7, 1935 -
Cd. Juárez,
Mexico •
Rita Ann Seward - September 30, 1935 - Las Vegas - May 9, 1938 - Los Angeles, California • Estelle Jackson Brown - December 12, 1939 - Las Vegas, NV - August 13, 1942 - Reno, Nevada • Vivian DuBois - May 9, 1946 - Las Vegas, Nevada - March 14, 1950 - Los Angeles, California •
Beatrice Ruby Noble - February 23, 1951 -
Phoenix, AZ - His death ==Career==