Best TV Show Hosts
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Originally from the small town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Josh is graduate of Boston's Tufts University, from which he holds degrees in archaeology and drama. His work and travels have taken him to more than 50 countries around the world.
An avid SCUBA diver, Josh has assisted in sub-sea archaeological excavations off the coast of Israel, and as a photographer he has traveled to remote villages in Bangladesh and Nepal. Scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro and climbed on Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas. Josh is passionate about photographing the unique places he visits and the diverse people he meets along the way.
Josh lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a photographer.- Producer
- Actor
Robert Irvine is a world class chef, fitness authority, and philanthropist. Robert pioneered a new genre of programming for Food Network with his extreme cooking challenge show, Dinner: Impossible, which ran for 7 seasons and over 100 episodes. He parlayed that success into the more popular Restaurant: Impossible, which continues to air today.
Robert has hosted or appeared on Food Network's Worst Cooks in America, Next Iron Chef, Restaurant Express, Chopped: Impossible, Guy's Grocery Games: Impossible, A Hero's Welcome, Food Network Star, ABC's Body of Proof, ABC Family's Melissa and Joey among others.
The Robert Irvine Brand Family includes: Robert Irvine Foods, The Robert Irvine Foundation, FitCrunch, Fresh Kitchen, Public House, and Boardroom Spirits.
Robert Irvine is also the author of four books: Impossible to Easy, Mission: Cook, Fit Fuel, and Family Table.
In May 2016, Robert launched Robert Irvine Magazine a free digital magazine focusing on healthy recipes, fitness advice, and motivation for success in all areas of life. The magazine keeps a strong focus on Robert's appearance schedule, particularly with the USO and other military functions, and interviews a wide range of celebrities to talk about success, food, and fitness. Past interviews have included a wide range of athletes, military personnel, and actors, including Gary Sinise, Joe Manganiello, and Gary Player.
Robert is a tireless supporter of our nation's military. Robert founded The Robert Irvine Foundation in 2014 to support the veterans and veteran causes that need the most help. A portion of the proceeds from Robert Irvine Foods goes directly to the foundation, along with public donations. The full amount of these funds are then disbursed through the foundation's grants program. Past grants have been awarded to the USO, Valor Service Dogs, the Gary Sinise Foundation, and the American Veterans Center.
Robert gives of his time by attending troop rallies held by the Gary Sinise Foundation and by touring regularly with the USO. Robert has been on several USO tours that took him to far corners of the globe; he most recently toured with the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is also a member of the board of the directors of The USO's DC-Metro chapter, the largest chartered chapter of the organization.
Robert Irvine's Awards & Honors include:
Ambassador of the Culinary Institute of America awarded in December 2007, Chef Professional from La Toque Blanche International, 2001 Culinary Excellence Award granted at Carnegie Hall by the Culinary Institute of America and the American Tasting Institute, Trustee of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences' Five-Star Diamond Award, Member of the Malta Chefs Society (MCS), Episode of Restaurant:Impossible in the Culinary Hall of Fame, United States Navy Honorary Chief Petty Officer, Medal of Honor Society's Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment, US Department of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award Spring 2016, Spirit of Hope Award 2017- Producer
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Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management. His dedication and natural talent led him to train with some of the world's leading chefs, such as Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London, and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.
In 1993 Ramsay became chef of Aubergine in London, which within three years was awarded two Michelin stars. In 1998, at the age of 31, Ramsay set up his first wholly owned and namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world - three Michelin stars. Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London's longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and Ramsay is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.
Now internationally renowned, multi-Michelin-starred Ramsay has opened a string of successful restaurants across the globe, from Italy to the United States. These include two ventures in Doha, Qatar, that opened in 2012; five restaurants in Las Vegas (Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips at The LINQ Promenade, Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, and Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino), Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill in Atlantic City, Gordon Ramsay Steak in Baltimore and Bread Street Kitchen in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai. In the UK, the Gordon Ramsay Group has opened Union Street Café, London House, Heddon Street Kitchen and two further maze Grills, one of which is located on the former Aubergine site on Park Walk, Chelsea.
His next-generation multi-media production company Studio Ramsay has a joint venture with All3Media to develop and produce both unscripted and scripted television shows, creating new formats and innovative programming that includes a scripted arm focused on food-related themes, and development of new talent on a global front. The catalogue of programs that Ramsay has worked on historically with All3Media via One Potato Two Potato, together with new original content he's currently developing, make for a unique and dynamic production and distribution partnership. Its first daytime cooking series, ""Culinary Genius,"" premiered in the spring on ITV in the U.K. was syndicated on FOX stations in the U.S. this past summer. Seasons 3 and 4 of "Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch," starring Tilly Ramsay for U.K. children's channel CBBC, are also produced by Studio Ramsay
Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, Emmy-nominated, multi-Michelin-star chef Gordon Ramsay produces TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic (in the U.S and the UK) seen by audiences worldwide, including his FOX shows ""24 Hours to Hell & Back,"" ""Masterchef,"" ""Masterchef Junior,"" ""Hell's Kitchen,"" and ""Masterchef Celebrity Showdown,"" as well as Bravo's "Best New Restaurant" and Food Network's competition series "Food Court Wars." In the U.K., he's produced "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape" for Channel 4; food biography and nostalgia series "My Kitchen" for UKTV's Good Food Channel; two instructional cookery series, "Ultimate Home Cooking" and "Ultimate Cookery Course" for Channel 4; and the first two seasons of "Matilda And the Ramsay Bunch," all under his One Potato Two Potato banner.
Ramsay has a global partnership with WWRD (Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton), which offers quality home and lifestyle products.
In 2014, Ramsay and his wife, Tana, set up the Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation to make a meaningful difference to charities that are important to them. The Foundation is currently partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of London's most respected Children's Hospitals.
Ramsay received an OBE (Order of the British Empire awarded by Queen Elizabeth II) in 2006 for services to the industry.
He resides with his wife, Tana, and children, along with their two dogs, two cats and a tortoise. He divides his time between Los Angeles and London.- Producer
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Born in Philadelphia, Don was raised in Pitman, New Jersey; he attended Quaker schools - Westtown School (Pennsylvania) and Earlham College (Indiana) - and trained as an actor at The Drama Studio in London, England. During his many years in New York, Don divided his time between a busy commercial career and stage work - he appeared in Moisés Kaufman's acclaimed "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde". As host of ESPN's "Men's Journal", Travel Channel's "Weird Travels" and CNBC's "Ushuaia", global adventure became a trademark. Don now explores the storied undergrounds of the world's great urban centers as the host of Cities of the Underworld (2007), The History Channel's premiere series. He lives and works in Los Angeles.- Producer
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Buddy Valastro was born on 3 March 1977 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Cooks vs. Cons (2016), Unpolished (2019) and Legends of the Fork (2023). He has been married to Lisa Valastro since 14 October 2001. They have four children.- Actor
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Mark DeCarlo is a comedian, author, travel & foodie expert and TV host. Mark won three consecutive Emmy Awards (2011, 2012, 2013) for his comedy segments on ABC's Windy City LIVE.
Mark hosted the hit Travel Channel series "Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo" from 2004-2009, which spawned a comedic travel guide, "A Fork on the Road: 400 Cities, 1 Stomach." The bestseller was on the Amazon Top 20 for 19 consecutive weeks.
Mark hosts and produces "A Fork on the Road Show" (2013- ), a leading travel/foodie podcast on the web, and writes a popular Travel Blog for Huffington Post, reaching over 1 million fans each week.
Mark voiced the daffy patriarch Hugh Neutron in the Academy Award Nominated feature "Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius," as well as the popular Nickelodeon TV series.
An alumni of Second City, Mark has appeared on iconic TV comedies, including; Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, & Tracey Takes On...
Best known as the host of the hit dating show STUDS (1991-1994), Mark also hosted The X Show (Fx) BIG Deal (Fox), Goodnight America, Sunday Dinner (Hallmark).
Mark is a stand up comedian, and performs live shows around the US.- Producer
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A graduate of the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan, Bagans moved to Las Vegas to become a documentary filmmaker and explorer of the paranormal. Stated as an Empath to spirits, Bagans has created the #1 rated hit series on the Travel Channel, Ghost Adventures, as well as numerous other TV Shows and Films.- Actor
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William Shatner has notched up an impressive 70-plus years in front of the camera, displaying heady comedic talent and being instantly recognizable to several generations of cult television fans as the square-jawed Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise.
Shatner was born in Côte Saint-Luc, Montréal, Québec, Canada, to Anne (Garmaise) and Joseph Shatner, a clothing manufacturer. His father was a Jewish emigrant from Bukovina in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while his maternal grandparents were Lithuanian Jews. After graduating from university, he joined a local Summer theatre group as an assistant manager. He then performed with the National Repertory Theatre of Ottawa and at the Stratford, Ontario, Shakespeare Festival as an understudy working with such as Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Anthony Quayle. He came to the attention of New York critics and was soon playing important roles in major shows on live television.
Shatner spent many years honing his craft before debuting alongside Yul Brynner in The Brothers Karamazov (1958). He was kept busy during the 1960s in films such as Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and The Intruder (1962) and on television guest-starring in dozens of series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Defenders (1961), The Outer Limits (1963) and The Twilight Zone (1959). In 1966, Shatner boarded the USS Enterprise for three seasons of Star Trek (1966), co-starring alongside Leonard Nimoy, with the series eventually becoming a bona-fide cult classic with a worldwide legion of fans known variously as "Trekkies" or "Trekkers".
After "Star Trek" folded, Shatner spent the rest of the decade and the 1970s making the rounds, guest-starring on many prime-time television series, including Hawaii Five-O (1968), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and Ironside (1967). He has also appeared in several feature films, but they were mainly B-grade (or lower) fare, such as the embarrassingly bad Euro western White Comanche (1968) and the campy Kingdom of the Spiders (1977). However, the 1980s saw a major resurgence in Shatner's career with the renewed interest in the original Star Trek (1966) series culminating in a series of big-budget "Star Trek" feature films, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). In addition, he starred in the lightweight police series T.J. Hooker (1982) from 1982 to 1986, alongside spunky Heather Locklear, and surprised many fans with his droll comedic talents in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) and Miss Congeniality (2000).
He has most recently been starring in the David E. Kelley television series The Practice (1997) and its spin-off Boston Legal (2004).
Outside of work, he jogs and follows other athletic pursuits. His interest in health and nutrition led to him becoming spokesman for the American Health Institute's 'Know Your Body' program to promote nutritional and physical health.- Producer
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Anthony Melchiorri is known for Wisegal (2008), Hotel Impossible (2012) and Hotel Impossible: Undercover (2014).- Producer
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Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, to Gladys (Sacksman), an NYT staff editor, and Pierre Bourdain, a Columbia Records executive. He attended The Englewood School for Boys in New Jersey and Vassar College (for two years), and was a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He began his career in the food industry as a dishwasher, gradually working his way up through preparation, to line cook, sous chef, and chef. He was executive chef of Manhattan's Brasserie Les Halles, which meant, in his words, that he got to "swan around the kitchen, taking credit for others' work." Bourdain lived in New York City, and had a daughter Ariane, with his wife Ottavia.- Producer
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Andrew Zimmern was born on 4 July 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (2006), The Zimmern List (2016) and Feral (2022). He has been married to Rishia Anne Felien since 26 December 2002. They have one child.- Producer
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Guy Fieri was born on 22 January 1968 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006), The War with Grandpa (2020) and Alex Vs. America (2022). He has been married to Lori Fieri since 1995. They have two children.- Actor
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John started the improvisational duo group, "Sal's Meat Market", in Bridgeport, Connecticut with fellow actor and friend Ray Hassett. He was later affiliated with the ensemble group, "The Downtown Cabaret". Coincidentally, he was a friend of Susan Ryan, the mother of Meg Ryan. A mutual friend, also associated with "The Downtown Cabaret", was the daughter-in-law of actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of actor Jack Albertson.- Samantha Brown was born on March 31, 1970 in Dallas, Texas as Samantha Elizabeth Brown. She's a writer, actress & producer. She's known for Samantha Brown's Inside the Suitcase (2010), The Trip: 2014 (2014), Girl Meets Hawaii (2000) & Samantha Brown's Places to Love (2018). She has been married to Kevin O'Leary since October 28, 2006. They have 2 children.
She moved to New Hampshire soon after her birth where she grew up in New Castle.
She resides in New York City. - Writer
- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio.
Rick Steves grew up in Edmonds, Washington and studied at the University of Washington where he received degrees in Business Administration and European History. But his real education came in Europe - since 1973 he's spent 120 days a year in Europe. Spending one third of his adult life living out of a suitcase in Europe has shaped his thinking. Today he employs 80 people at his Europe Through the Back Door headquarters where he produces over 50 guidebooks on European travel, the most popular travel series in America on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.- Writer
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Bettany Hughes was born in 1968 in Oxford, England, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Ultimate Treasure Countdown (2020), Curiosity (2011) and Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o (2019). She is married to Adrian Evans. They have two children.- Most people know Jon Taffer as a larger-than-life television personality who takes a no-holds-barred approach to helping hotels, restaurants, bars and businesses reach their full potential. He is also a New York Times best-selling author, a highly sought-after hospitality and general business consultant, and is the creator, executive producer and star of Paramount Network's hit show, "Bar Rescue." For nearly four decades, Taffer has been at the forefront of the business management industry offering his expertise to hundreds of thousands of properties and Fortune 500 companies. By no surprise, studies show that Taffer is the most influential, trustworthy, and intelligent food & beverage personality on television.
"Bar Rescue" is now in its eighth season on the Paramount Network. Taffer has led the show to account for nearly 25% of the network's programming and over 900 million viewers. "Bar Rescue" spotlights Jon as he saves failing bars from looming closure, leveraging his four decades of industry experience and trademarked "Reaction Management" strategy. In 2021, the show topped the milestone of 200 episodes.
His latest creation is Taffer's Browned Butter Bourbon, a decadent new-to-world premium flavored American bourbon. Taffer's Browned Butter Bourbon is a rich, bold bourbon whiskey with notes of vanilla and toffee to escalate your favorite cocktail or dish. After creating thousands of cocktail recipes throughout his 200+ episodes of "Bar Rescue" and many years of experience consulting and creating food & beverage businesses, Jon Taffer knows a standout spirit when he tastes one. As a concept came to him to fuse an indulgent favorite ingredient with the bold complexity of whiskey during "Bar Rescue," Taffer's Browned Butter Bourbon was born.
In 2022, Jon went head-to-head against chef Robert Irvine in an all-new, three-episode series streaming on discovery+ called "Restaurant Rivals: Irvine vs. Taffer." In each hour-long episode of "Restaurant Rivals," Jon and Robert put their guiding principles to the test, each using their distinct combination of tough love and sharp business acumen to help a pair of struggling restaurant owners back to profitability.
After many years of restaurant industry experience and lessons learned, Jon created Taffer's Tavern, an innovative, casual dining restaurant franchise concept that provides a solution for many of the woes that plague the restaurant industry. The Tavern is based on a high-volume, small footprint kitchen format that uses the latest technologies to produce elevated tavern foods and outstanding beverage offerings without the need for a traditional commercial kitchen. The franchise's first location opened October 2020 in Atlanta, GA, with additional multi-unit locations secured in the Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Florida areas.
As an author, Jon wrote "Don't Bullsh*t Yourself," a no-nonsense guide that helps people understand and overcome the excuses holding them back from success. It became a New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller in its first week of release, joining his first book, "Raise the Bar," on the best-sellers list. Jon's newest book on sale now, "The Power of Conflict," provides readers with a toolkit to speak their mind to get the results they want. In 2018 Jon also launched his podcast, "The Jon Taffer Podcast," where he sits down with friends and well-known celebrities to discuss current events. - Actor
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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).- Producer
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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.- Actor
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TV-talk show host, game-show host, singer, author, and TV personality, Regis Philbin became one of the most popular talk-show hosts in America and in Canada, especially. Growing up as an only child in The Bronx, New York, Philbin went to the University of Notre Dame and got a degree in sociology. Later, he would serve in the U.S. Navy and went through behind-the-scenes in radio and TV, before going into broadcasting.
After moving to California, Philin got his own show on KGTV in San Diego called That Regis Philbin Show (1964). However, with no writing team, for budget reasons, this led him to begin the show that would become his hallmark, where he engages his audience in discussions about his life and events of the day. It was then that he got his first big break as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show (1961). Bishop liked to tease Philbin. But the teasing stopped when Philbin walked off the stage on a live broadcast and stayed away for several days. Philbin later hosted A.M. Los Angeles (1975), a local TV talk show on KABC-TV. With his presence, he brought the show to Number One in Los Angeles.
On the show, Sarah Purcell was his first co-host, followed by Cyndy Garvey. However, when Philbin moved to New York City, they both paired up on "The Morning Show". But due to low ratings, Garvey then left once again and Philbin was then joined by Kathie Lee Gifford on the show and the ratings improved and the show's name was changed to "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988). Gifford left the show, which was called "Live with Regis" until a permanent replacement could be found.
During the search, Philbin won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, his first only Daytime award. When Kelly Ripa was chosen the same year, the show was later changed to "Live with Regis and Kelly." The pairing became successful.
Besides being a successful TV host, Philbin was also a game show host on a short-lived game show called The Neighbors (1975), in which part of the game is that a contestant, usually a woman, would have to find out which one of her neighbors is gossiping about her. He then hosted Almost Anything Goes (1975). Despite both shows being failures, Philbin then hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999), which became one of the most popular shows on TV before it was canceled in 2002 and came back with Meredith Vieira replacing Philbin. For his work on the show, he won his second Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host.
Philbin then signed a contract for "Millionaire's" spin-off: Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire (2004). But this time, instead of one million dollars, it's 10 million. However, the show was canceled within four months. However, Philbin's game show career didn't end there; he hosted the first season of America's Got Talent (2006), with Piers Morgan, Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff as the judges.
Besides TV, Philbin was also an author who wrote two books: "I'm Only One Man!" and "Who Wants To Be Me?". He was also a singer, in the style of a crooner, such as Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin.
Regis Philbin died on July 24, 2020, in Greenwich, Connecticut, of natural causes. He was 88.- Producer
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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.- Additional Crew
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Mike Loades is known for World of Weapons (2020), USS Constellation: Battling for Freedom (2007) and Carmen in 3D (2011).- Actor
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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.- Actor
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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.- Producer
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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.- Producer
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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.- Actor
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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.- Actor
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Michael John Myers was born in 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario, to Alice E. (Hind), an officer supervisor, and Eric Myers, an insurance agent. His parents were both English, and had served in the Royal Air Force and British Army, respectively.
Myers' television career really started in 1988, when he joined Saturday Night Live (1975), where he spent six seasons. He brought to life many memorable characters, such as Dieter and Wayne Cambell. His major movies include Wayne's World (1992), Wayne's World 2 (1993), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), the Austin Powers movies and The Cat in the Hat (2003).- Writer
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Mike Wolfe, creator and star of History Channel's hit TV show "American Pickers," has became a household name by dominating the world of "picking," a place where treasure is mined in old barns, crumbling sheds and dilapidated warehouses that line America's back roads and main streets. Today, he's at the top of his field, operating as a major voice in the world of interiors and collectibles, not to mention a personal empire that includes retails stores, books, product lines, endorsement deals, and an upcoming CBS sitcom pilot that he developed based on his life as America's foremost professional scavenger. Mike will also serve as the show's executive producer.
Before taking on Hollywood, Mike made his name as a professional treasure hunter, road tripping across the country in search of what he calls "rusty gold" to buy and sell in one of his two Antique Archaeology stores. Located in Le Claire, Iowa, and Nashville, Tennessee, the stores feature actual vintage and antique treasures Mike has picked up on the road as well as official merchandise associated with his Antique Archaeology brand.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, Mike is the second of three children raised by a single mother. Though he began picking at the tender age of six, pulling old bicycles out of his neighbor's trash in Bettendorf, Iowa, Mike has been working as a professional picker for over 20 years. (He logged time as a competitive bicycle racer and owned two bike shops before settling into his picking career). For most of those two-plus decades, Mike went about his business with little fanfare, putting some 60,000 miles on his cargo van each year as he traversed the country in search of cool finds. His anonymity ended in January of 2010, with the debut of "American Pickers," a TV concept he pitched to various networks for almost five years before it was picked up by The History Channel.
A certified hit, the show attracted 3.1 viewers for its first episode, making it the highest rated History Channel debut in three years. (Mike is credited as the creator, executive producer and co-host of the series.) That first season, as many as 5.4 million viewers tuned in each week, making it cable TV's highest rated new non-fiction program of 2010 among adults 25-54 - and Mike a bona fide American idol.
Now entering its fifth season, "American Pickers" continues to pull in 4.7 million viewers for new episodes. The success of "Pickers" allowed Mike to expand his retail business (the Nashville store opened in 2011) and buy a house near Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, a quirky little country town about a half hour south of Nashville, where he lives with his wife Jodi and daughter Charlie, and two beloved Australian blue heelers, Ruby and Scout. The couple also has a home in Le Claire.
In 2012, Mike expanded his personal business empire, announcing several new side businesses. Rustorations is a collection of lighting that "gives new life to old fixtures and vintage lighting parts by forging them into functional, one-of-a-kind furniture for your home or office." Pieces are available for sale in the Nashville Antique Archaeology store. Kid Pickers is an online community that gives kids aged 7 to 13 a forum to share their own picks. A Kid Pickers book - a how-to guide to picking written with children's specific needs in mind - will be published by Macmillan (Feiwel and Friends) in spring 2013; it will be Mike's second book, following 2011's "American Pickers Guide to Picking."
Mike's success has allowed him to expand his reach as a humanitarian. He routinely hosts event and encourages fund raising projects that benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Operation Smile, the ASCPA, and animal shelters.
A longtime music lover with a special affinity for Americana and old school country, he's co-produced an album called Music to Pick By, a mix of picking-compatible tunes complied by legendary Nashville producer Brian Ahern. The record will feature three new songs composed and recorded by Mike and country singer/songwriter Dale Watson. The release date is TBD.
In September of 2012, CBS announced it had purchased Mike's latest TV project, a scripted, multi-camera workplace comedy set in an antiques and collectibles shop. The show, which will be directed by actor-turned-director Fred Savage, will be based on Mike's life and experiences as a picker. Mike is one of the executive producers. Mike recently signed an endorsement deal with Indian Motorcycle, a brand he loves and rides.- Frank Fritz was born on 11 October 1965 in Davenport, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for American Pickers (2010), American Pickers: Best Of (2017) and Pawn Stars (2009).
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Rick Harrison was born on 22 March 1965 in Lexington, North Carolina, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Pawn Stars (2009), Blood Sweat and Heels (2014) and Resurrection. He has been married to Deanna Burditt since 21 July 2013. He was previously married to Tracy Ann Hill and Kim.- Writer
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A former boxer, paratrooper and general all-around angry young man, Rod Serling was one of the radical new voices that made the "Golden Age" of television. Long before The Twilight Zone (1959), he was known for writing such high-quality scripts as "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight," both later turned into films (Patterns (1956) and Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)). The Twilight Zone (1959) featured forays into controversial grounds like racism, Cold War paranoia and the horrors of war. His maverick attitude eventually drove him from regular network television.- Director
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Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and Eileen Hitchcock (born 1892). Raised as a strict Catholic and attending Saint Ignatius College, a school run by Jesuits, Hitch had very much of a regular upbringing. His first job outside of the family business was in 1915 as an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company. His interest in movies began at around this time, frequently visiting the cinema and reading US trade journals.
Hitchcock entering the film industry in 1919 as a title card designer. It was there that he met Alma Reville, though they never really spoke to each other. It was only after the director for Always Tell Your Wife (1923) fell ill and Hitchcock was named director to complete the film that he and Reville began to collaborate. Hitchcock had his first real crack at directing a film, start to finish, in 1923 when he was hired to direct the film Number 13 (1922), though the production wasn't completed due to the studio's closure (he later remade it as a sound film). Hitchcock didn't give up then. He directed The Pleasure Garden (1925), a British/German production, which was very popular. Hitchcock made his first trademark film in 1927, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) . In the same year, on the 2nd of December, Hitchcock married Alma Reville. They had one child, Patricia Hitchcock who was born on July 7th, 1928. His success followed when he made a number of films in Britain such as The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Jamaica Inn (1939), some of which also gained him fame in the USA.
In 1940, the Hitchcock family moved to Hollywood, where the producer David O. Selznick had hired him to direct an adaptation of 'Daphne du Maurier''s Rebecca (1940). After Saboteur (1942), as his fame as a director grew, film companies began to refer to his films as 'Alfred Hitchcock's', for example Alfred Hitcock's Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock's Family Plot (1976), Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972).
Hitchcock was a master of pure cinema who almost never failed to reconcile aesthetics with the demands of the box-office.
During the making of Frenzy (1972), Hitchcock's wife Alma suffered a paralyzing stroke which made her unable to walk very well. On March 7, 1979, Hitchcock was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award, where he said: "I beg permission to mention by name only four people who have given me the most affection, appreciation, and encouragement, and constant collaboration. The first of the four is a film editor, the second is a scriptwriter, the third is the mother of my daughter Pat, and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen and their names are Alma Reville." By this time, he was ill with angina and his kidneys had already started to fail. He had started to write a screenplay with Ernest Lehman called The Short Night but he fired Lehman and hired young writer David Freeman to rewrite the script. Due to Hitchcock's failing health the film was never made, but Freeman published the script after Hitchcock's death. In late 1979, Hitchcock was knighted, making him Sir Alfred Hitchcock. On the 29th April 1980, 9:17AM, he died peacefully in his sleep due to renal failure. His funeral was held in the Church of Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Father Thomas Sullivan led the service with over 600 people attended the service, among them were Mel Brooks (director of High Anxiety (1977), a comedy tribute to Hitchcock and his films), Louis Jourdan, Karl Malden, Tippi Hedren, Janet Leigh and François Truffaut.- Producer
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The beloved Impresario of TV variety from 1948 to 1971, Ed Sullivan originally made his name as a newspaper sportswriter, radio broadcaster and theater columnist for the New York Daily News. His column focused primarily on Broadway shows and juicy items about its stars. On the new medium of TV, however, he became a pioneer master of ceremonies and entertainment showman.
Edward Vincent Sullivan and his twin brother, Daniel (who died at age 2), were born to a modest Irish-Catholic family on September 28, 1901, in Harlem. A major athlete at Port Chester High School, he lettered in track, football, basketball and baseball. His first professional experience was his local The Port Chester Daily Item, a local newspaper for which he had written sports news while in high school. He joined the paper full-time after graduation. He would land subsequent jobs as a sports reporter, and then various news-related jobs with such papers as The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Bulletin and The New York Bulletin. A sport writer and (later) editor for The Evening Graphic in 1927, Sullivan took over the Broadway column for The News after Walter Winchell left. That position would last 42 years.
Hired in 1932 by the CBS network as a rival of radio commentator Walter Winchell, future radio stars introduced on Sullivan's program included Jack Benny. Sullivan made his film debut as himself in Mr. Broadway (1933), which he also wrote. His subsequent screenplay and story involvements included the screwy comedy There Goes My Heart (1938) and the Universal musical Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me (1940).
So successful was he as Masters of Ceremony at the Harvest Moon Ball at Madison Square Garden, CBS hired him to do The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) ("Toast of the Town") just as TV sets were becoming a home staple. The show, which balanced amazing novelty acts with singing and comedy talents, both legendary and up-and-coming, was broadcast from CBS Studio 50 on Broadway in New York City. In 1967 the studio was aptly renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater. Although Sullivan himself had zilch stage or camera presence and had a frustrating habit of forgetting performers' names as he was about to present them, audiences were completely taken by his charming idiosyncrasies and mellow, guy-next-door approach. He and the show became a resounding success for a staggering 23 years.
Sullivan had a knack for identifying talent and his Sunday night variety platform became a springboard for a number of top stars and groups, including comics Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and singers Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He also was color blind when it came to talent, generously promoting a number of black crossover acts, such as The Supremes and other Motown artists, when few other TV shows would. Sullivan appeared as himself in such films as Bye Bye Birdie (1963), The Patsy (1964) and The Singing Nun (1966), among others. The irrepressibly stiff, hunch-shouldered emcee was unmercifully parodied by a parade of impressionists over the decades, including Will Jordan, John Byner and David Frye.
Following his cancellation in 1971, Sullivan was seen infrequently hosting variety specials. He died in his beloved New York of esophageal cancer in 1974, three years after the cancellation of his series. The father of one daughter, Betty, Sullivan's wife Sylvia (Weinstein) Sullivan, whom he married in 1930, died the year before.- Actor
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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."- Actor
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Johnny Carson, the legendary "King of Late Night TV" who dominated the medium's nether hours for three decades, was born in Corning, Iowa, but moved with his family to nearby Norfolk, Nebraska when he was eight years old. He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. It was in Norfolk, where he lived until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy in 1943, that he started his show business career. At age 14, Carson began appearing as the magician "The Great Carsoni" at local venues.
In 1962, Carson was chosen by NBC to succeed the controversial Jack Paar and his The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957). Paar had decided to quit the show and begin a once-a-week show for NBC in prime time on Friday nights. Carson would never be controversial like Paar, preferring to good-naturedly skewer politicians and celebrities in his opening monologue and staging stunts such as the on-stage marriage of retro-singer Tiny Tim to his "Miss Vicky" in 1969. His popularity with the late-night audience became so great, and the income from advertising on his show so profitable that, in 1967, NBC had to lure Johnny back to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)after a walkout with a three-year contract guaranteeing him a minimum of $4 million. In the early 1970s, TV Guide reported that Carson was earning $2 million a year, making him the highest paid TV entertainer ever, a record he repeatedly surpassed, pulling down a then-record $5 million annual salary in the 1980s. Carson created a sense of intimacy with his guests and audiences that made him the unvanquished "King of Nighttime TV". Countless talk shows hosted by the likes of Joey Bishop and Dick Cavett and other non-talk show programs were launched against him year after year only to fail, with the notable exception of ABC News Nightline (1980) halfway through his reign. His tempestuous love-life, which included two high-profile divorces, became the fodder of such celebrity staples as "The National Enquirer" and later "People Magazine", and he was even the subject of a roman a clef pulp novel in the early 1970s. There have been at least seven published biographies of Carson.
After brief stints on radio stations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, his career was exclusively in television, starting with work at Nebraska TV stations in the late 1940s which preceded his 1951-53 skit program Carson's Cellar (1953) on Los Angeles station KNXT-TV. Attracting the attention of the industry, he was hired as a comedy writer for The Red Skelton Hour (1951) which provided him with a career breakthrough when Skelton was injured backstage and Carson substituted for him, delivering his first monologue before a national audience. This led to a stint as the host of the quiz show Earn Your Vacation (1954) and the variety showcase The Johnny Carson Show (1953) in 1955-56. The man who would soon become the most famous late-night TV personality in history hosted the daytime game show Who Do You Trust? (1956) from 1957-62, teaming up with longtime sidekick, Ed McMahon, in 1958.
Before his triumph on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), Carson tried his hand at dramatic acting, appearing in Three Men on a Horse (1957) (episode # 1.29) during the inaugural season of Playhouse 90 (1956) in 1957. In 1960, he shot a pilot for a prime-time TV series, "Johnny Come Lately", that was not picked up by a network. Carson had sat in for "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar in 1958 and, when Paar left the show four years later, NBC chose Carson as his replacement, taking over the catbird seat on October 2, 1962. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Sidekick McMahon's "Heeeeere's Johnny!!!" introduction of Carson became a cultural catchphrase, memorably reprised by Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980), Woody Allen's character in the Best Picture Academy Award-winning Annie Hall (1977), stand-up comic Alvy Singer, is recognized in front of a movie theater by a street tough due to his appearance on "The Tonight Show".
Aside from his banter with celebrities, he amused his audience for 30 years with broadly played skit comedy by his "Mighty Carson Art Players" and his spoof clairvoyant "Carnac the Magnificent". He made memorable put-downs of politicians and celebrities, a format that was used by his successors Jay Leno and David Letterman and legions of comics who came after him. When a joke bombed during his monologues, Carson would do a wounded double-take as the audience jeered, fully aware of the awfulness of the joke he had just unloaded. Following these bombs with a sly, self-deprecating remark engendered a sense of intimacy between Carson and his fans.
A liberal in the increasingly liberal age of the 1960s and 1970s, so powerful were his opening monologues that by the early 1970s, he could actually affect society at large outside of the pop culture realm. A joke about a shortage of industrial grade toilet paper caused a national panic and a run on all grades of t.p., with a resulting shortage of the product about which he had kidded. Playing off current events such as the Watergate crisis, his comic evisceration of President Richard Nixon was credited with some critics as exerting such a drag on Nixon's approval rating that it made his resignation possible, if not inevitable. After Carson's reign, it became increasingly de rigueur for politicians to appear on late-night TV talk shows and bear a host's jibes in order to stump for votes.
Carson's connection with the American culture was so absolute, it contributed to one of his few failures, the rejection of "The Tonight Show" in the early 1980s by British audiences who could not understand the topical references of his monologues. And his audience's identification of Johnny with the "Tonight Show" effectively stopped him from work in other media. In the mid-1960s, Carson's agents wanted to trade on his vast popularity to position him in motion pictures as the "New Jack Lemmon", but Carson never made any forays outside of television. His connection with the movie industry remained his hosting of three generations of stars and his memorable turns as the host of five Academy Awards telecasts from 1979-84. In that role, he generally is regarded as the best successor to long-time Oscar host Bob Hope. He did stretch his wings as a producer, his Carson Productions producing TV pilots and series, TV movies and [error], in addition to his own talk show.
The six-time Emmy-winner considered a follow-up to "The Tonight Show", but nothing caught his interest and he spent the last decade of his life in a quiet retirement in Malibu, California, as befitted his private nature. Thus, it was "The Tonight Show" that remains his creative legacy. Unlike every other TV star, he remained on top until the very end, the show winning its ratings period every year for 30 years. When Carson retired, his last appearance was one of the highest rated late night TV shows ever.
"I have an ego like anybody else", Carson told The Washington Post in 1993, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time". Frederick De Cordova, the producer of "The Tonight Show" throughout Carson's 30-year run, believed that Carson never pressured himself to launch a follow-up as he already had achieved unprecedented success on TV. "He is one of a kind, was one of a kind", De Cordova said in 1995. "I don't think there's any reason for him to try something different".
Carson, who was suffering from emphysema and had quadruple bypass surgery in 1999, died peacefully at the age of 79 on January 23, 2005, surrounded by his family and friends. In terms of career longevity, popularity, peer respect and impact on the medium, Carson ranks with Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason as a television great.- Producer
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Jay Leno began his career in night clubs, where he worked 300 nights a year before hitting it big in 1992 with his own late-night talk show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). By that time he had appeared on television, acted in a few films (American Hot Wax (1978)) but hit paydirt with his late-night television appearances (he made a record number of visits to [error]); for several years, he served as Johnny Carson's permanent guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). A big, sweet guy with a very good comedy routine, he vied with David Letterman to inherit Carson's seat when Johnny retired in 1992. His victory was well-publicized, but empty, though he did gain a measure of revenge when his show beat Letterman's for the Emmy in 1995. Though he consistently lost in the ratings to Letterman except on special occasions, like Hugh Grant's first TV appearance after his encounter with Divine Brown, he surged ahead in 1996, as CBS plunged further into oblivion.- Writer
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Steve Allen was born on 26 December 1921 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Casino (1995), The Player (1992) and College Confidential (1960). He was married to Jayne Meadows and Dorothy Goodman. He died on 30 October 2000 in Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Producer
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Bobby Flay was born on 10 December 1964 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction (2011), Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay (2002) and Entourage (2004).- Producer
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Duff Goldman was born on 17 December 1974 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Holiday Baking Championship (2014) and A Gingerbread Christmas (2022). He has been married to Johnna Goldman since 19 January 2019. They have one child.- Actor
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Alton Brown was born on 30 July 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Good Eats (1999), School Daze (1988) and Cooking Thin (2001). He has been married to Elizabeth Ingram since 29 September 2018. He was previously married to Deanna Brown and Unknown.- Writer
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By August of 1994, Craig Ferguson was established as one of Great Britain's leading comedians - he had just had huge success at the Edinburgh Festival. In January 1995 he moved to Los Angeles where he now works as an actor-writer-director-producer-creator.- Producer
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Nancy Grace was born on 23 October 1959 in Macon, Georgia, USA. She is a producer and actress, known for Midnight Special (2016), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Hancock (2008). She has been married to David Linch since 21 April 2007. They have two children.- Producer
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Tom Bergeron was born on 6 May 1955 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Hollywood Squares (1998), Dancing with the Stars (2005) and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). He has been married to Lois Harmon since 22 May 1982. They have two children.- Actor
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Bob Saget was an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host from Philadelphia. His best known role was playing pater familias Danny Tanner on the hit sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). He played the character again in the sequel series "Fuller House" (2016-2020). Saget served as the original host of the long-running clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos" from 1989 to 1997. Saget voiced the narrator in the hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014), depicted as an older version of main character Ted Mosby.
In 1956, Saget was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia. His parents were supermarket executive Benjamin Saget and hospital administrator Rosalyn "Dolly" Saget. The Saget family eventually moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Bob received his early religious education at Temple Israel, a synagogue of Norfolk which adhered to Conservative Judaism. He was reportedly a rebellious student.
Saget spend part of his high school years in Los Angeles, where he befriended veteran comedian Larry Fine (1902-1975). He attended a Philadelphia high school during his senior year. He was originally interested in a medical career but his English teacher Elaine Zimmerman convinced Saget to aspire to an acting or filmmaking career instead.
Saget received his college education at the "Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts", a college associated with the Temple University of Philadelphia. One of his student films won a merit award at the Student Academy Awards. He graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. He had already started performing in comedy clubs during his college years.
In 1978, Saget intended to take graduate courses at the University of Southern California. He dropped out due to health-related problems. He almost died due to a gangrenous appendix, costing him a loss of confidence. He decided afterwards to lose some weight, in the belief that it would improve his health.
Following his graduation, Saget spend about a decade working mostly as a comedian. He appeared in minor acting roles in both films and television. In 1987, Saget was performing comedy bits for the short-lived non-fiction show "The Morning Program". The show offered a mix of "news, entertainment and comedy", but was canceled due to low ratings.
Saget's big break came when he was chosen to portray widowed father Danny Tanner in the sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). The series depicted Danny's efforts to raise three young daughters, with the assistance of his best friends. The show suffered from poor viewership in its first season, but attracted a family audience due to its portrayal of the struggles associated with parenting. By its third season, it was ranked among Nielsen's Top 30 shows. Saget became a household name, and the series lasted for 8 seasons and 192 episodes. The series was eventually canceled due to its increasing production costs. Its rating had remained high until its final episode.
In 1989, Saget was chosen as the host of the clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos". The show featured humorous homemade videos which were submitted by its viewers, often highlighting physical comedy, pranks, or unusual behavior by children and pets. While the show was popular with viewers, Saget himself was increasingly frustrated with its repetitive format. When his contract for the show expired in 1997, Saget was not interested in negotiating for a renewal.
In 1996, Saget directed the dramatic television film "For Hope". The film depicted the struggles of a woman who is slowly dying due to being afflicted with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease with no known cure. Saget was reportedly inspired by the life and death of his sister Gay Saget, who had died due to scleroderma. The film received high ratings in its debut.
In 1998, Saget directed the comedy film "Dirty Work". It depicted two half-brothers who offer to perform revenge schemes for paying clients, but have a personal grudge against a man who reneged on a deal with them. The film under-performed at the box office, but gained a cult following due to its reputation as a "gag-fest".
From 2001 to 2002, Saget had the starring role of Matt Stewart in the sitcom "Raising Dad". The premise of the series was that widowed father Matt Stewart was trying to raise two daughter, while pursuing a teaching career at his eldest's daughter's high school. Despite the series having a similar concept to "Full House", it failed to find an audience. It lasted for a single season.
In 2005, Saget was cast as the narrator in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014). The premise of the series was that middle-aged Ted Mosby narrates his life story (and the life stories of his best friends) to his son and daughter. The series repeatedly implied that Ted was an unreliable narrator, who either embellished or censored aspects of his various stories. The series was quite popular, lasting for 9 seasons and 208 episodes.
In 2007, Saget directed the direct-to-video parody film "Farce of the Penguins". The film was a full-length parody of the documentary film "March of the Penguins" (2005), featuring penguins conversing about their love lives. It featured the voices of several then-popular actors, including several of Saget's former co-stars from "Full House".
In 2009, Saget was cast in the main role of Steve Patterson in the sitcom "Surviving Suburbia". The premise of the series was that the members of a suburban family have problems in interacting both with each other, and with their new neighbors. The series only lasted a single season, and struggled with low ratings.
In 2014, Saget published his memoirs under the title "Dirty Daddy". In 2016, a sequel series to "Full House" was introduced under the title "Fuller House". It featured the lives of two of Danny Tanner's daughters, and Danny's grandchildren. Saget played the recurring role of Danny for 15 episodes. The sequel series lasted for 5 seasons. This was Saget's last major role in a sitcom. He continued, however, to regularly host television events.
In January 2022, Saget was in Florida for a stand-up tour. On January 9, Saget was discovered dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, located south of Orlando, Florida. He was 65-years-old. His autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt head trauma from an accidental blow to the back of his head, likely from a fall. He had died in his sleep. He was buried at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, next to the graves of his parents and his sister. Mourners honored Saget by offering donations to the charity "Scleroderma Research Foundation" (SRF), since Saget had long served in its board of directors. Saget is gone, but his popularity endures due to his acting and directing roles in several popular films and television shows.- Producer
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Jeff Probst is the Emmy Award-winning host of Survivor (2000). He won the inaugural Emmy for Best Reality Show Host in 2008 and again in 2009. Probst also received an Emmy as Host/Producer of Survivor (2000) back in 2001.
He was also voted one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People.
As a filmmaker, Probst wrote and directed the LionsGate released indie film, Finder's Fee (2001), starring Ryan Reynolds and Academy Award nominees James Earl Jones and Robert Forster.
Finder's Fee (2001) premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival where it won "Best Picture" and a "Best Director" award for Probst. Other awards: "Best Screenplay" at Method Fest, "Breakout Director" at Sonoma Film Fest. Probst was also selected as one of the "Ten Directors in the World to Watch" in a series presented by the American Cinematheque showcasing innovative and exciting new directors from around the world.
Probst previously served as host of VH1's Rock & Roll Jeopardy! (1998), hosted several programs for FX and traveled over 300,000 miles around the world as a correspondent for Access Hollywood (1996).
Prior to that, he hosted a variety of shows for KIRO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Seattle.
Probst hosts the "Howard Stern Celebrity Fan Roundtable" for Howard Stern on Sirius/XM radio.
Probst is a regular fill-in for Regis Philbin on Live with Kelly and Mark (1988) (aka "Live with Regis and Kelly").
In 2007, Probst founded The Serpentine Project a non-profit that empowers youth transitioning out of foster care to reach for their dreams by opening the door to possibilities.- Actor
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Terry Crews was born in Flint, Michigan, to Patricia and Terry Crews Sr. He earned an art excellence scholarship to attend Western Michigan University and also earned a full-ride athletic scholarship to play football. Crews was an All-Conference defensive end, and was a major contributor on the 1988 MAC champion WMU Broncos. His college success was rewarded in 1991, when he was drafted by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams.
Crews played six years in the NFL, with stints at the L.A. Rams, San Diego Chargers , Rhein Fire (NFL Europe-Germany), Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. While in the NFL, used his art talent by painting a line of NFL licensed lithographs for Sierra Sun Editions.
In 1996, Crews co-wrote and co-produced the independent feature film "Young Boys Incorporated" (1996).
Crews retired from the NFL in 1997 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Crews's first break came in 1999, when he auditioned for the extreme sports show called Battle Dome (1999), with other actor-athletes from around the country. Crews was chosen to be a series regular, known as the urban warrior T-Money.
In 2000, Crews made his big-screen debut in The 6th Day (2000). Since then, he has landed roles in Serving Sara (2002), Friday After Next (2002), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Soul Plane (2004), White Chicks (2004), and the Mike Judge film, Idiocracy (2006).- Producer
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Nicholas Scott Cannon is an American television host, rapper, actor, and comedian. Cannon began in television as a teenager on "All That" before going on to host "The Nick Cannon Show", 'Wild 'n Out", 'America's Got Talent", 'Lip Sync Battle Shorties", and "The Masked Singer." He acted in the films "Drumline", "Love Don't Cost a Thing", and "Roll Bounce."
As a rapper he released his debut self-titled album in 2003 with the single "Gigolo", a collaboration with singer R. Kelly. In 2007 he played the role of the fictional footballer TJ Harper in the film Goal II: Living the Dream. In 2006, Cannon recorded the singles "Dime Piece" and "My Wife" for the planned album "Stages", which was never released.- Producer
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Phil McGraw was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, to Anne Geraldine "Gerrie" (Stevens) and Joseph J. "Joe" McGraw, Jr., an equipment supplier for oil fields. He earned his doctorate degree in psychology from the University of North Texas [1979]. In 1980 he founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc., a full-service trial sciences firm. As president of CSI, he has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East consulting with clients including Fortune 500 companies, major networks and airlines. He has also conducted seminars on life strategies and goal acquisition for tens of thousands of participants from the general public and corporate America.
His relationship columns appear in each monthly issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. He has written three books - "Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters", "Relationship Rescue", and "Family First".- Actor
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Art Linkletter was born on 17 July 1912 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was an actor and producer, known for Champagne for Caesar (1950), Philippine Adventure (1964) and The Jack Benny Program (1950). He was married to Lois Marguerite Foerster. He died on 26 May 2010 in Bel-Air, California, USA.- Writer
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Political commentator Bill O'Reilly was born on September 10, 1949 in New York City, to Winifred Angela (Drake) and William James O'Reilly. He was born into a classic Irish Catholic family and attended private Catholic schools.
O'Reilly attended Marist College and studied history. Bill was also in the football club as a punter and wrote for the school newspaper. O'Reilly studied abroad at the University of London, and after coming home played semi professional baseball before graduating with a bachelors in history in 1971.
O'Reilly studied broadcast journalism at Boston University after some time as a teacher in Florida. O'Reilly interned with different newspapers and stations while earning his masters. In the mid 90's O'Reilly earned a degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. O'Reilly's early career included anchor jobs in Scranton, Denver, Portland, Hartford, and Boston. In this time he won a local Emmy and was praised for excellence in investigative reporting.
O'Reilly worked as a WEBS anchor and won a second local Emmy before earning the spot of correspondent for CBS network news. He later worked as a correspondent and assignment reporter for ABC.
O'Reilly became a news star when he was an anchor on "Inside Addition" where he covered the fall of the Berlin Wall and the murder of Joel Steinberg. After leaving the team, he earned his 3rd degree from the Kennedy School of government in 1995.
In 1996, O'Reilly launched "The O'Reilly Factor" the show he has anchored for 17 years. Since then he has used his show to report top political stories and it has become the #1 Cable News Show on TV.
In addition to reporting the news, O'Reilly often dissects it. He has made accusations against organizations and figures for corruption, and has broken barriers in news. He often goes head to head with organizations, politicians, and celebrities in the social media. He has called out judges for court rulings he found to be poor and he has even accused people of being unAmerican.
One of his most famous rivals is the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). In 1997, 10 year-old Jeffery Curley was kidnapped and murdered by two men. His body was molested and dumped off. The two men claimed they had gotten the inspiration from literature they had read in a library from the NAMBLA, a radical organization that condones male on boy rape and sexual contact. The ACLU then defended the NAMBLA and the men responsible. Outraged, O'Reilly used his media power to shed light on the issue.
However, his most famous head to head encounter was with organizations that raised money for 9/11 victims. Some faulty finances and numbers lead people to believe these organizations stole this money. O'Reilly publicly accused this organization and came head to head,with actor George Clooney, who claimed that O'Reilly was mistaken. Others that are often implicated as O'Reilly "rivals" are Michael Moore, George Soros, Alec Baldwin, and Susan Sarandon. He is also playfully rivaled on late night television with comics Jon Stewart, David Letterman, and Jay Leno.
O'Reilly has some core political beliefs that lean to the right, although he is a registered Independent. O'Reilly has written books and spoken about cultural traditions such as marriage, abortion, and patriotism. He has come to conflicts with Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and George Soros on issues like these.
O'Reilly has also published books about history and politics. He lives in New York and is the father of two children. His wife Maureen and he divorced in 2011.- Producer
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Sean Hannity was born on 30 December 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Siege (1998), The First American (2016) and Let There Be Light (2017). He has been married to Jill Rhodes since 9 January 1993. They have two children.- Writer
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Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American television host, conservative political commentator and author who has hosted the nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News since 2016. Carlson was born Tucker McNear Carlson in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, on May 16, 1969. He is the elder son of artist and San Francisco native Lisa McNear (née Lombardi) (1945-2011) and Dick Carlson (1941-), a former "gonzo reporter" who became the director of Voice of America, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles. Carlson's brother, Buckley Peck Carlson, later Buckley Swanson Peck Carlson, is nearly two years younger and has worked as a communications manager and Republican political operative.- Writer
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Laura Ingraham was born on 19 June 1963 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for The ½ Hour News Hour (2007), The Simpsons (1989) and The Ingraham Angle (2017).- Writer
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Steve Irwin was born in 1962 to parents Lyn and Bob Irwin, who were animal naturalists. He shared the love for animals all his life, stemming from being raised at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. There, he partook in daily duties of animal feeding and care. He quickly established himself with the Queenland's government on the process of the country's Crocodile Relocation Program, in which the reptiles could be transferred and relocated to proper localties in the most absolute humane, non-tranquilizing manner. He frequently implements the non-tranquilizing factor in his televison show The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files (1999). Steve married fellow naturalist, Terri Irwin (Baines) in 1992. She joined him in his adventures and efforts in almost every episode of his show. They had one daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin, who was born July 24, 1998. He died in September 2006 following an attack by a stingray, off the Great Barrier Reef.- Producer
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Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946 at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York City, New York. He is the son of Mary Trump (née Macleod) and Fred Trump, a real estate millionaire. His mother was a Scottish immigrant who initially worked as a maid. His father was born in New York, to German parents.
From kindergarten through seventh grade, he attended the Kew-Forest School. At age 13, he enrolled in the New York Military Academy.
In 1964, he began his higher education at Fordham University. After two years, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.
From 1971 to 2017, he was chairman and president of his family real estate company, Elizabeth Trump & Son (now called The Trump Organization), which was founded in 1923 by his grandmother and father. His business career primarily focused on building or renovating office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses.
He has five children, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump with his first wife, Ivana Trump (m. 1977- d.1990), Tiffany Trump with his second wife, Marla Maples (m. 1993- d.1999) and Barron Trump with his third wife, Melania Trump (m. 2005).
He has hosted and produced the reality television series, The Apprentice (2004), which has been nominated for nine Primetime Emmy awards.
He was the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021.- Actor
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TV sportscaster Bob Costas is known as a smart interviewer with encyclopedic knowledge and a devilish sense of humor.
He was born in the borough of Queens, New York. He is the son of Jayne (Quinlan) and John George Costas, an electrical engineer. His father's roots are Greek, from the island of Kalymnos in the Aegean Sea, and his mother is of Irish and German descent. He grew up primarily in Commack, New York, graduating from Commack High School South. Following high school, Costas majored in communications at Syracuse University. He left school prior to graduating to accept a job at radio giant KMOX in St. Louis. Later he received an honorary degree from Syracuse's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.- Writer
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Neil Cavuto was born on 22 September 1958 in Westbury, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Market Wrap (1989), Business Insiders (1992) and The Cost of Freedom (2017). He has been married to Mary Fulling since 15 October 1983. They have three children.- Producer
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Lou Dobbs was born on 24 September 1945 in Childress, Texas, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for State of Play (2009), Lou Dobbs Tonight (1980) and Managing with Lou Dobbs (1993). He has been married to Debi Segura since 1982. They have four children. He was previously married to Kathleen Wheeler.- Tom Snyder was born on 12 May 1936 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for McCloud (1970), Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1973) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992). He was married to Mary Ann Bendel. He died on 29 July 2007 in San Francisco, California, USA.
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Phil Donahue is an American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of Donahue (1967). His television program, later known as Donahue, was the first talk show format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television in America that began in Dayton, Ohio, and ended in New York City in 1996.
His shows have often focused on issues that divide liberals and conservatives in the United States, such as abortion, consumer protection, civil rights and war issues. His most frequent guest was Ralph Nader, for whom Donahue campaigned in 2000. Donahue also briefly hosted a talk show on MSNBC from July 2002 to March 2003.
Phil Donahue is one of the most influential talk show hosts and has been called the "king of daytime talk." Oprah Winfrey has stated, "If it weren't for Phil Donahue, there would never have been an Oprah Show."
In 1996, Donahue was ranked #42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.- Actor
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Wolfman Jack was born on 21 January 1938 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for American Graffiti (1973), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and Motel Hell (1980). He was married to Lucy Lamb. He died on 1 July 1995 in Belvidere, North Carolina, USA.- Producer
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Colin Cowherd grew up in the U.S. state of Washington. He was a sports director at KVBC-TV in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was named Nevada's Sportscaster of the Year five times. In 1996, he went to Portland, Oregon, to do sports talk radio. Cowherd then moved to ESPN Radio in 2003 to start hosting his show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, during the 10AM-1PM time slot. He was named Sports Illustrated's Radio Personality of the Year in 2005. Cowherd also co-hosted the show SportsNation (2009) on ESPN2 from 2009 to 2012.- Producer
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Michael "Mike" Gregory Rowe (March 18, 1962) is the host, narrator and executive producer of one of Discovery Channel's most famous series, Dirty Jobs. In the series, Mike travels the world performing what are considered the worst jobs in the world.Mike is the narrator and co-creator/producer of the Discovery Channel series/show Deadliest Catch.- Jeremy John Wade, a native of rural Suffolk, England, UK where he grew up on the banks of the Suffolk Stour, currently resides in the countryside near Bath, Somerset, UK when he's not traveling to some far off land to catch "monster" fish and film the TV Series, River Monsters, a production of Icon Films for Animal Planet. He has a degree in Zoology from Bristol University and a postgraduate teaching certificate in biological sciences from the University of Kent. Besides his latest occupation as host of River Monsters, Jeremy Wade has worked as a secondary school biology teacher, tour leader, motorcycle dispatch rider, supply teacher, art tutor, translator (Portuguese-English), public relations consultant, dishwasher, senior copywriter (at an advertising agency) and newspaper reporter.
He is a self-taught writer, with several published articles on poaching, fair trade, travel, natural history, and of course fishing. Besides his newspaper and magazine articles for The Times, Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, The Field and BBC Wildlife magazine, to name a few, he has also co-written a book in 1992 with Paul Arthur Boote called, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River." Described by many as an unusual, quirky, and strange tale of the perils faced by the two anglers, it is considered an angling classic. He has completed a new book, "River Monsters: True Stories of the Ones That Didn't Get Away," that will cover his fishing adventures worldwide which is scheduled for release in April 2011.
At age 16, he was the youngest member of the British Carp Study Group (The B.C.S.G. is a national single species organization for experienced and successful carp anglers). His first overseas trip was to the mountain rivers of India in 1982 where his desire for tracking down large and little-known fresh-water fish became unquenchable and possibly border-lined on obsessive. Although he has mostly fished in the Congo and the Amazon rainforests of Brazil, his travels have taken him to many lands where he has had the misfortune of catching Malaria, been jailed overnight as a suspected spy, almost drowned, survived a plane crash, had an Alaskan bear steal his fish, and found himself facing the wrong end of a gun. Who knows what perils he may face in the future.
During his career he has achieved a number of notable 'firsts'. These include filming a large mystery creature in an Amazon lake (dubbed 'the Amazon Nessie' by BBC Wildlife magazine) which turned out to be a malformed pink river dolphin, and getting the first underwater footage (with cameraman Rick Rosenthal) of the 'Giant Devil Catfish' in India.
His tenacity is to be admired as he studied Portuguese for three hours a day for three months to prepare for a trip to Brazil. He has since worked as a Portuguese-English translator and speaks a half dozen languages well enough to get around although, in an episode, he admits that German is not one of them.
He became a TV personality beginning in 2002 hosting his first TV series, "Jungle Hooks," filmed for Discovery Europe which was highly popular and followed by "River Monsters" in 2009 which has achieved the highest-ever audience figures in the history of Animal Planet.
When not fishing, he enjoys scuba diving (mostly cold, low-visibility water around the U.K. coast) along with free diving and rock climbing when the weather allows. - Actor
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Rich Koz was born on 12 March 1952 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Svengoolie (1995), Son of Svengoolie (1978) and Screaming Yellow Theatre (1970).