Vintage Game Show Hosts
Notice that Steve Harvey isn't on the list. He's funny as a standup comedian, but is a pandering clown on his game show (which is less watchable than Wheel of Fortune.)
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- Actor
- Writer
- Director
The bushy-browed, cigar-smoking wise-cracker with the painted-on moustache and stooped walk was the leader of The Marx Brothers. With one-liners that were often double entendres, Groucho never cursed in any of his performances and said he never wanted to be known as a dirty comic. With a great love of music and singing (The Marx Brothers started as a singing group), one of the things Groucho was best known for was his rendition of the song "Lydia the Tattooed Lady."You Bet Your Life (1950-61)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
John Daly was born on 20 February 1914 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was an actor and producer, known for The Front Page (1949), The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956) and Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966). He was married to Virginia Warren and Margaret Criswell Neal. He died on 24 February 1991 in Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA.What's My Line? (1950-67)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Garry Moore was born on 31 January 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for It Happened to Jane (1959), The Schaefer Century Theatre (1952) and Fireside Theatre (1949). He was married to Mary Elizabeth Knoernschild deChant and Eleanor Borum Little. He died on 28 November 1993 in Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA.I've Got a Secret (1952-66)
To Tell the Truth (1975-77)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Most of Clayton's family was in show biz, but he initially decided to go into his father's field, law. He worked his way through Fordham University as a radio actor and singer, then took a job as a law clerk. Two years later, realizing that radio was very much more lucrative a career, he changed his last name to Collyer and became a full-time actor. He was performing on every major network by the age of 32. Collyer assumed his most famous radio role in 1940, the title character in "The Adventures of Superman." Collyer used different voices for Superman and Clark Kent, while making good use of the well-known lines "This is a job for Superman!" and "Up, up, and away!" He would continue as Superman until 1949, one year before the series ended, also playing the character in animated shorts by Max Fleischer. Collyer became involved in radio game shows at about the same time. He was co-host of ABC's "Break the Bank" for five years and host of "Winner Take All." Among the few radio personalities to successfully transition into television, he hosted the TV versions of his two radio shows. In early 1950, Collyer became host of Beat the Clock (1950), which ran in prime time and daytime for the next 11 years. In late 1956, he also became the host of his biggest success, To Tell the Truth (1956). This lasted for 12 years and made his "Will the real [contestant's name] please stand up?" a part of the American lexicon. One year after his last appearance on To Tell the Truth (1956), Collyer died of a circulatory ailment at age 61.To Tell the Truth (1956-68)- Producer
- Actor
For 35 years, Bob Barker had been the host of The Price is Right (1972) game show. Not only is it the highest-rated daytime program, it is also the longest-running game show in TV history, surpassing the prime-time hit What's My Line? (1950), which ran for 18 years. He also served as the executive producer of the program, since 1988, until his retirement in 2007. Named the most popular game show host of all time in a national poll, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Daytime Television in 1999. Although he has graced our television screens for more than four decades, his career continued at full circle, until he left the show, in 2007, only to be replaced by comedian Drew Carey.
In 1996, he made his motion picture debut in Universal Pictures' Happy Gilmore (1996), in which he played himself with Adam Sandler. His real acting debut, however, came when he was asked to play Mel Harris' father in NBC's Something So Right (1996). Another honor came when one of the most historic sites in the history of television, Stage 33 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, was re-dedicated as the Bob Barker Studio in ceremonies following the taping of the 5,000th episode of "The Price is Right", on March 11, 1998. Barker was the first performer to whom CBS has ever dedicated a stage.
Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, and spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where his mother was a schoolteacher. His family eventually moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he attended high school and Drury College on a basketball scholarship. World War II interrupted his studies and he joined the US Navy, becoming a fighter pilot, but the war ended before he was assigned to a seagoing squadron.
Following his discharge, Barker returned to Drury and took a job at a local radio station to help finance his studies. It was there he discovered what he did best being to host audience participation shows. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in economics, he went to work for a radio station in Palm Beach, Florida. A year later he moved to Los Angeles, and within a week he was the host of his own radio program, "The Bob Barker Show". He made his debut, at the end of 1956 on national television as the host of the popular The All New Truth or Consequences (1950). Ralph Edwards, the show's originator, had sold the show to NBC as a daytime strip, but he had not chosen a host. He auditioned other hosts in Hollywood and New York for weeks, but when he heard "The Bob Barker Show" on his car radio, he knew he had found the man for the job. Proving that Edwards had chosen him wisely, Barker hosted "Truth or Consequences" for an unbelievable 18 years, until the show ended in 1975, and he and Edwards remained close friends, until Edwards's death in 2005. They drank a toast at lunch every December 21st to celebrate the day in 1956, when Edwards notified him he was going to become the host of "Truth or Consequences".
Barker had been twice named in the Guinness Book of World Records as Television's "Most Durable Performer," at 3,524 shows, and "Most Generous Host in Television history" for awarding $55 million in prizes on his various shows. During the ensuing years, the $55-million figure had increased to more than $200 million. He had won 11 Emmys as a Game Show Host, more than any other performer, and 2 more as Executive Producer of "The Price is Right". He also was given the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, for a total of 14, and won 2 additional awards, for a total of 16 Emmys. He had also received the coveted Carbon Mike Award of the Pioneer of Broadcasters.
In 1978, he developed "The Bob Barker Fun & Games Show", a series of personal appearances that attracted record-breaking audiences throughout the US and Canada. He also established the DJ&T Foundation in Beverly Hills, California, the purpose of which is to help control the dog and cat population. He was funding the foundation through his own resources to support low-cost or free spay/neuter clinics. This foundation is named in memory of his late wife, Dorothy Jo, and his mother, Matilda (Tilly) Valandra, both of whom loved animals. Barker's work on behalf of animals has garnered him a long list of awards from prestigious humane organizations across the country. In fact, a columnist wrote Bob had become a part-time television host and a full-time animal rights activist. However, he assured his audiences there was room in his busy life for both television and animals.
After his retirement, Barker had made 3 more appearances, on "The Price is Right", the first being to promote his autobiography, " Priceless Memories :, then, on his 90th birthday, in 2013 he briefly replaced Drew Carey, at the show's intro, for an April Fools' Day joke, which was his last appearance. In 2010, The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced it had purchased and outfitted a ship to interdict with Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean using $5 million dollars, provided by him, the same year, he donated $2.5 million, toward the purchase of office space for the organization in Los Angeles. The "Bob Barker Building" opened in 2012.
Bob Barker passed away on August 26, 2023, in Hollywood Hills, California, after a long battle against Alzheimer's disease. He was 99.Truth or Consequences (1956-74)
The Price is Right (1972-2015)- Bill Cullen was born on 18 February 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Three on a Match (1971), It Happened to Jane (1959) and Hot Potato (1984). He was married to Ann Cullen, Carol Ames and Ruth Elizabeth Harrington. He died on 7 July 1990 in Bel Air, California, USA.The Price is Right (1956-65)
$25,000 Pyramid (1974-78)
The Joker's Wild (1984-86) - Jack Barry was born on March 20, 1918 in Lindenhurst, New York, the son of Cecelia (Hepner) and Max Solomon Barasch. In his adult years, he did saloon work until Dan Enright said they should go into television game shows. He hosted Winky Dink and You, the first example of interactive TV. He later went on to host Juvenile Jury and Life Begins at 80. In 1956, he hosted Twenty-One, Tic Tac Dough and the first four episodes of Concentration. Barry was involved in the quiz show scandals which brought down Barry & Enright productions. During the 1960s, he hosted the unsuccessful Reel Game, and in 1972, he hosted The Joker's Wild. In 1976, he produced a revival of Break the Bank, with former You Don't Say! host Tom Kennedy as emcee. Even though the show was successful, it was canceled after only 15 weeks, after which Barry hosted a syndicated version which also was proven to be unsuccessful. In 1975, he created the short-lived game show Blank Check. In 1980, he created Play the Percentages, and in 1984, he made his final creation, Hot Potato, with game show king Bill Cullen as emcee. Barry died that same year in May from a cardiac arrest while morning jogging in Central Park and was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. After his death, Bill Cullen took over and Kline and Friends was formed by Richard Kline.Twenty One (1956-57)
The Joker's Wild (1972-84) - Producer
- Actor
Jack Narz's career in television spanned nearly 30 years. After the service and a short but productive stint in local radio, Narz started in television late in 1950 as announcer on early-TV classics like Space Patrol (1950) and Life with Elizabeth (1952). Moving on to host the trouble-prone Dotto (1958) and Video Village (1960), Narz worked steadily in radio and TV until achieving his biggest success with the syndicated version of Concentration (1973) in 1973. After Concentration (1973) left the airwaves in the fall of 1978, Narz semi-retired, but he remained active for years on the celebrity golf circuit and on behalf of several charities.Dotto (1958)
Beat the Clock (1969-72)
Concentration (1973-79)- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Allen Ludden was born on 5 October 1917 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Password (1961), It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975) and Futureworld (1976). He was married to Betty White and Margaret Frances McGloin. He died on 9 June 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Password (1962-75, 79-81)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Hugh Downs was born on 14 February 1921 in Akron, Ohio, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Live from Lincoln Center (1976), Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) and Concentration (1958). He was married to Ruth Shaheen. He died on 1 July 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.Concentration (1958-69)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gene Rayburn was born on December 22, 1917, in Christopher, Illinois. After his father died at a very young age, his mother moved to Chicago and married Milan Rubessa, and Gene adopted his stepfather's name. As Gene Rubessa, he acted in high school plays and hoped to follow an acting career. He moved to New York City in the 1930s where he was a page for NBC, later working as an usher for the NBC symphony orchestra. Before World War Two, he went to announcers school and worked with various radio personalities around New York City. He married Helen Tricknor, in 1940, with whom he had one child, Lynn, in 1942. Soon afterwards, he was called to Military Service and joined the U.S. Air Corps. After the war, Gene worked on the "Rayburn and Finch Show" and, later, the "Gene Rayburn Show" in the early fifties. During the 50s, Rayburn was instrumental in highlighting corruption on radio, by playing an older song so many times that it became a hit. This was alleged to have proved that record promoters could pay DJs to play records on stations for bribes, making the songs very popular, albeit for a price. His breakthrough came in the mid-50s as the announcer on The Tonight Show (1953), with Steve Allen. Rayburn and Allen were associated on The Tonight Show (1953) Show for three years and Rayburn became a household name for many years after that. In 1955, he hosted his first game show called The Sky's the Limit (1954). Subsequent game shows included The Match Game (1962), Make the Connection (1955), Musical Chairs (1954), Play Your Hunch (1958), Tic Tac Dough (1956) and Dough Re Mi (1960). He always flew by jet from his home in Massachusetts to host his various shows. Rayburn was also a Broadway performer, and appeared in plays such as "Bye, Bye Birdie"- Charles Nelson Reilly was his understudy. He also had a small part in the movie, It Happened to Jane (1959).The Match Game (1962-84)- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Monty Hall was born Maurice Halperin on August 25, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1945. He's the father of Tony Award winner Joanna Gleason, television writer/director Sharon Hall, and Emmy Award winner television writer/director Richard Hall. He has five grandchildren. He was awarded the Order of Canada for his charitable works for the Variety Clubs International, the Muscular Dystrophy Association.Let's Make a Deal (1963-75)- Additional Crew
- Actor
Tom Kennedy was born on 26 February 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for Witness (1985), You Don't Say (1963) and Hardcastle and McCormick (1983). He was married to Betty Jane Gevedon. He died on 7 October 2020 in Oxnard, California, USA.Birth name is Narz (brother of Jack Narz)
You Don't Say (1963-69)- Art James was born on 15 October 1929 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Mallrats (1995), Hostile Environment (1999) and Raw Justice (1994). He was married to Jane Hamilton and Sandra Petron. He died on 28 March 2004 in Palm Springs, California, USA.Say When! (1963-65)
- Art Fleming was born on 1 May 1924 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), MacArthur (1977) and International Detective (1959). He was married to Rebecca Lynn, Peggy Ann Ellis and Mildred Lauretta Goodrich. He died on 25 April 1995 in Crystal River, Florida, USA.Jeopardy (1964-73)
- Jim Lange was born on 15 August 1932 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Captain 11 (1954) and Amazing Stories (1985). He was married to Nancy Fleming and Fay Marie Madigan. He died on 25 February 2014 in Mill Valley, California, USA.The Dating Game (1965-78)
- Producer
- Actor
Bob Eubanks was born on 8 January 1938 in Flint, Michigan, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Payback (1990) and Roger & Me (1989). He has been married to Debbie James since 2004. They have one child. He was previously married to Irma Brown.The Newlywed Game (1966-74)- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Peter Marshall was born on 30 March 1926 in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965), Annie (1982) and Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue (1977). He has been married to Laurie Marshall since 19 August 1989. He was previously married to Sally Carter-Ihnat and Nadene Rita Teaford.Hollywood Squares (1966-80)- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dick Clark was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York on November 30, 1929, to Julia Fuller (Barnard) and Richard Augustus Clark. He had one older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II. At the age of 16, Clark got his first job in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in Utica, New York, which was owned by his uncle and managed by his father. He worked his way up the ranks and was promoted to weatherman before becoming a radio announcer. After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in business administration, Clark began working at several radio and television stations before landing at WFIL radio in 1952. While working at the station, Clark became a substitute host for Bob Horn's Bandstand, an afternoon program where teenagers danced to popular music, broadcast by WFIL's affiliated television station. In 1956, Horn was arrested for drunk driving, giving Clark the perfect opportunity to step in as the full-time host.
After acquiring nationwide distribution the newly reformatted program, now titled "American Bandstand", premiered on ABC on August 5, 1957. In addition to the name change, Clark added interviews with artists (starting with Elvis Presley), lip-sync performances, and "Rate-a-Record," allowing teens to judge the songs on the show - and giving birth to the popular phrase, "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it." Clark also established a formal dress code, mandating dresses and skirts for the women and a coat and tie for the men. But perhaps the most impactful change that Clark made to the show was ending "American Bandstand's" all-white policy, allowing African American artists to perform on the show.
Under Clark's influence, "Bandstand" became one of the most successful and longest-running musical programs, featuring artists including Chuck Berry, the Doors, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and Smokey Robinson. Sonny and Cher, The Jackson 5, Prince, and Aerosmith were among the influential artists and bands that made their television debuts on "Bandstand", which is also credited with helping to make America more accepting of rock 'n' roll.
With the success of "American Bandstand", Clark became more invested in the music publishing and recording businesses, and began managing artists, hosting live sock hops, and arranging concert tours. But in 1960, when the United States Senate began investigating "payola", the practice in which music producing companies paid broadcasting companies to favor their products, Clark became caught up in the scandal. The investigation found he had partial copyrights to over 150 songs, many of which were featured on his show. Clark denied he was involved in any way, but admitted to accepting a fur and jewelry from a record company president. In the end, the Senate could not find any illegal actions by Clark, but ABC asked Clark to either sell his shares in these companies or leave the network so there was no conflict of interest. He chose to sell and continue on as host of "American Bandstand", which was unaffected by the scandal.
In 1964, Clark moved Bandstand from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and became more involved in television production. Under his company Dick Clark Productions, he produced such shows as "Where the Action Is", "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes", and more recently, "So You Think You Can Dance", as well as made-for-television movies including "Elvis", "The Birth of the Beatles", "Wild Streets", and "The Savage Seven". Clark also hosted television's "$10,000 Pyramid", "TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes" (with co-host Ed McMahon), "Scattergories", and "The Other Half". Clark also had several radio programs, including "The Dick Clark National Music Survey", "Countdown America", and "Rock, Roll & Remember".
In 1972, he produced and hosted the very first edition of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve", a musical program where Clark counted down until the New Year ball dropped in Times Square, featuring taped performances from musical artists. "New Year's Rockin' Eve" soon became a cultural tradition, airing on ABC every year with Clark as host (except in 1999 when ABC aired "ABC 2000: Today", a news milestone program hosted by Peter Jennings). In December 2004, Clark suffered a minor stroke and was unable to host, so Regis Philbin stepped in as a substitute. The following year, Clark returned as co-host alongside primary host Ryan Seacrest. Many were worried about Clark due to his slurred and breathless speech, and he admitted on-air he was still recovering but that he wouldn't have missed the broadcast for the world. The following year, Seacrest became "New Year's Rockin' Eve's" primary host, but Clark always returned for the countdown.
Clark has received several notable awards including four Emmy Awards, the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Peabody Award in 1999. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1976, The Radio Hall of Fame in 1990, Broadcasting Magazine Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Clark had been in St. John's hospital in Los Angeles after undergoing an outpatient procedure the night of April 17, 2012. Clark suffered a massive heart attack following the procedure. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he died the next morning of April 18, 2012.$__,000 Pyramid (1973-91)- Actor
- Writer
- Executive
Chuck Woolery originally set his sights on a career in the music industry but had a change of heart when he joined the U.S. Navy instead. After two years military service, he attended college in his home state of Kentucky and afterward held various jobs including a stint as a sales rep at Pillsbury. He later moved to Nashville where he formed the rock band "Avant Garde". He has one daughter and an adopted son from his first marriage, and one daughter from his second marriage and two boys from his third marriage.Wheel of Fortune (1975-81)
Love Connection (1983)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Wink Martindale was born on 4 December 1933 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Second Honeymoon (1987), Bumper Stumpers (1987) and The Lively Set (1964). He has been married to Sandy Ferra since 2 August 1975. They have four children. He was previously married to Madelyn Leech.Las Vegas Gambit (1976-80)
The New Tic Tac Dough (1978-85)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm on November 20, 1932 in Gosport, Hampshire, England. When he was 14, he joined the Merchant Navy and served for three years. During that time, he made money boxing. He had to lie about his age and remain tough so the older guys would not hassle him. In the late 1950s, Richard met a British actress named Diana Dors. On April 12, 1959, while in New York for an appearance on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956), they were married. Richard and Diana's first child, a son named Mark Dawson, was born in 1960, and a second son, Gary Dawson, was born in 1962. Richard and Diana separated in 1964 and eventually divorced in 1967. When Richard moved to the United States, he began acting on the well-known series, Hogan's Heroes (1965), in 1965. Richard played the lovable British Corporal Peter Newkirk. The show ended in 1971. Not long after that, in 1973, he became a panelist on Match Game (1973) and remained there until 1978.
While still on "Match Game", he hosted his own show called Family Feud (1976). , which he is most remembered for by his trademark of kissing all the female contestants. Those kisses made the show a warm and friendly program, along with his quick wit, subtle jokes, and ability to make people feel at ease with being on camera. In 1987, Richard co-starred withArnold Schwarzenegger in the science fiction action movie The Running Man (1987). Richard portrayed an egotistical game show host, Damon Killian, whom many say was a mirror image of himself at one time or another, during his real-life career.
When Richard was 61, he hosted the third incarnation of "Family Feud" in 1994, but had only a short run. On April 6, 1981, the Johnson family appeared on "Family Feud" and Richard was introduced to 27-year-old Gretchen Johnson. They had a daughter, Shannon Dawson (Shannon Nicole Dawson), in 1990, and were married in 1991. They were still married and reside in Beverly Hills, California. Richard narrated TV's Funniest Game Show Moments (1984) on Fox in early 2000. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, 2000, he hosted a "Family Feud" marathon, which was filmed in 1995. Some people hear the name Richard Dawson and may not recognize the name. But say his name, followed by his famous quote "Survey says...!" or mention "Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes (1965)", and they're sure to know who you mean. Richard Dawson died at age 79 of complications from esophageal cancer on June 2, 2012.Family Feud (1976-85)- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Pat Sajak was born on 26 October 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Wheel of Fortune (1983), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and The A-Team (1983). He has been married to Lesly Brown since 31 December 1989. They have two children. He was previously married to Sherrill.Wheel of Fortune (1983-present)- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Alex Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy. After his first decision to become a newscaster, he joined the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), Canada's premier network in 1961. As he was working, he helped organize national news and covered a variety of special events for CBC's radio and television divisions, receiving high praise as a broadcaster who retained his poise and composure in the toughest places. Then, in 1966, he became a Canadian game show host on Reach for the Top (1965), and stayed there for the first seven years until he migrated to the United States to host his very first game show in that country, The Wizard of Odds (1973), for NBC.
Prior to being selected as the host of Jeopardy! (1984), for syndication, he came back to NBC and hosted the revamped version of Classic Concentration (1987), which was also his second hit in his then-almost 30 year career. On this show, he received 4 Emmy nominations, but didn't win. It was canceled in 1991, when the network stopped making game show for daytime TV.
On May 17, 2002, Jeopardy! (1984) celebrated a milestone, with its 4000th episode and at the same time, received another Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Game Show/Audience Participation," making it its 21st Emmy. Like Bob Barker, Alex Trebek broke the world record as host of TV's #1 quiz show in the country, won seven Outstanding Game Show Host Emmy Awards, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was often described as one of the Top 10 Canadians on U.S. Television. Trebek passed away, after a long battle against pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020, at age 80.Jeopardy! (1984-present)