Sydney Omarr
Encyclopedia
Sydney Omarr was an American astrologer
and an astrology consultant
to the rich and famous. Omarr was born Sidney Kimmelman at 10:27 am, in Philadelphia, with the Sun
, Mercury
and Neptune
all in Leo
, and Libra
on the Ascendant
.
While he wrote numerous books on the subject of astrology, including My World of Astrology and his autobiography Answer in the Sky, he is probably the most widely known for his books on the popular sun sign astrology
. His books endeavoured to predict the astrological influences on an individual based on his Sun sign - technically derived as the constellation
providing the backdrop to the sunrise on the day of a person's birth (such as Aries, Taurus, etc.).
He also wrote a daily Sun Sign Horoscope
column which appeared in more than 200 daily newspapers of the Los Angeles Times
syndicate that was read by millions. Sydney Omarr's books on the topic of astrology have sold over 50 million copies
Omarr was born into a modest Jewish background, being the son of a grocer
and a housewife
. Being a typical Leo who likes to gain center stage, at the age of 15 he was performing sleight of hand tricks in magic shops and local talent shows. He regarded numerology as his first love, and wrote a few books, including Thought Dial, on the topic, but was unable to earn a living at numerology so he pursued a similar natural inclination to astrology.
At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army and within a year he was the first and only astrologer for the Army. He wrote the horoscope column for the U.S. Army's Stars and Stripes Newspaper
, and he believed his private horoscope work for President Franklin D. Roosevelt
won him that position. When Omarr completed his stint in the Army
, he attended Mexico City College
and studied journalism
, later to become a reporter for the United Press.
Omarr's first book was entitled Sydney Omarr's Private Course on Numerology, which he self-published and sold for $2.00. The fact that people were actually prepared to read and even buy his written words no doubt was a boost to his very Leonine ego, and this success prompted him to carry on with his literary endeavours.
As Omarr became a rather prolific writer, he also reinvented himself as a celebrity in his own right, appearing on various radio and television shows to include Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin
, and Johnny Carson
. He knew countless celebrities, and in 1966 was married for eight months to Jeraldine Saunders, a former model, cruise director
, and the creator of the Love Boat concept for ABC Television
.
Toward the end of his life, Omarr wrote a series of astrological guides published by Penguin
, called Sydney Omarr's Day-By-Day Astrological Guide. While he authored the books up until his death, his protégés have taken over the work, and Signet continues to publish the series. He believed he had been an astrologer in many previous lifetimes, and he was able to do full planetary horoscopes in his head when given an individual's birth coordinates and birth time. For his Los Angeles Times syndicate columns, he wrote each and every daily horoscope column personally, usually three weeks in advance.
Perhaps the only thing that blighted Omarr's life was his health. In 1971 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
, and as the disease slowly eroded his body he lost his sight in the early 1990s and became paralysed from the neck down.
Sydney Omarr died on 2 January 2003 at Saint John's Health Center
in Santa Monica, California
of a heart attack
. His wife and friends were at his side. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery
in Riverside, California.
He is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon
's 2009 novel Inherent Vice
(p. 34)
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and an astrology consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
to the rich and famous. Omarr was born Sidney Kimmelman at 10:27 am, in Philadelphia, with the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
and Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
all in Leo
Leo (astrology)
Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Leo. In astrology, Leo is considered to be a "masculine", positive sign. It is also considered a fire sign and is one of four fixed signs ruled by the Sun.Individuals born when the Sun is in this sign are...
, and Libra
Libra (astrology)
Libra is the seventh astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Libra. In astrology, Libra is considered a "masculine", positive sign. It is also considered an air sign and is one of four cardinal signs...
on the Ascendant
Ascendant
The ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
.
While he wrote numerous books on the subject of astrology, including My World of Astrology and his autobiography Answer in the Sky, he is probably the most widely known for his books on the popular sun sign astrology
Sun sign astrology
Sun sign astrology is the form of astrology most commonly found in many newspaper and magazine columns. It is a simplified system of astrology which considers only the position of the Sun, which is said to be placed within one of the twelve zodiac signs depending on the month of birth...
. His books endeavoured to predict the astrological influences on an individual based on his Sun sign - technically derived as the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
providing the backdrop to the sunrise on the day of a person's birth (such as Aries, Taurus, etc.).
He also wrote a daily Sun Sign Horoscope
Sun sign astrology
Sun sign astrology is the form of astrology most commonly found in many newspaper and magazine columns. It is a simplified system of astrology which considers only the position of the Sun, which is said to be placed within one of the twelve zodiac signs depending on the month of birth...
column which appeared in more than 200 daily newspapers of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
syndicate that was read by millions. Sydney Omarr's books on the topic of astrology have sold over 50 million copies
Omarr was born into a modest Jewish background, being the son of a grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
and a housewife
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
. Being a typical Leo who likes to gain center stage, at the age of 15 he was performing sleight of hand tricks in magic shops and local talent shows. He regarded numerology as his first love, and wrote a few books, including Thought Dial, on the topic, but was unable to earn a living at numerology so he pursued a similar natural inclination to astrology.
At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army and within a year he was the first and only astrologer for the Army. He wrote the horoscope column for the U.S. Army's Stars and Stripes Newspaper
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, and he believed his private horoscope work for President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
won him that position. When Omarr completed his stint in the Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, he attended Mexico City College
Mexico City College
Mexico City College was founded in 1940, as an English speaking junior college in Mexico City, Mexico.In 1946 the college switched to a 4 year Bachelor of Arts degree-awarding institution, then changed its name to University of the Americas in 1963 and in 1968 to Universidad de las Americas,...
and studied journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, later to become a reporter for the United Press.
Omarr's first book was entitled Sydney Omarr's Private Course on Numerology, which he self-published and sold for $2.00. The fact that people were actually prepared to read and even buy his written words no doubt was a boost to his very Leonine ego, and this success prompted him to carry on with his literary endeavours.
As Omarr became a rather prolific writer, he also reinvented himself as a celebrity in his own right, appearing on various radio and television shows to include Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
, and Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
. He knew countless celebrities, and in 1966 was married for eight months to Jeraldine Saunders, a former model, cruise director
Cruise director
A cruise director is a high ranking officer of a cruise ship, usually reporting to the Executive Purser. The cruise director has responsibility for all onboard hospitality, entertainment and social events and usually has a deputy or assistant cruise director, supported by a team of entertainment...
, and the creator of the Love Boat concept for ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
.
Toward the end of his life, Omarr wrote a series of astrological guides published by Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, called Sydney Omarr's Day-By-Day Astrological Guide. While he authored the books up until his death, his protégés have taken over the work, and Signet continues to publish the series. He believed he had been an astrologer in many previous lifetimes, and he was able to do full planetary horoscopes in his head when given an individual's birth coordinates and birth time. For his Los Angeles Times syndicate columns, he wrote each and every daily horoscope column personally, usually three weeks in advance.
Perhaps the only thing that blighted Omarr's life was his health. In 1971 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, and as the disease slowly eroded his body he lost his sight in the early 1990s and became paralysed from the neck down.
Sydney Omarr died on 2 January 2003 at Saint John's Health Center
Saint John's Health Center
Saint John's Health Center is a hospital in Santa Monica, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.-List of famous patients:*Former US President Ronald Reagan, 2001, taken to St...
in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. His wife and friends were at his side. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside National Cemetery is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration...
in Riverside, California.
He is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's 2009 novel Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice is a novel by Thomas Pynchon, originally published in August 2009.-Title:The term "inherent vice" is a legal tenet referring to a "hidden defect of a good or property which of itself is the cause of its deterioration, damage, or wastage...
(p. 34)