- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohn Leonard Olson
- Nicknames
- John
- Johnny O
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Johnny Olson was born on May 22, 1910 in Windom, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Match Game (1973), The Price is Right (1972) and Snap Judgment (1967). He was married to Penelope Katheen Powers. He died on October 12, 1985 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- SpousePenelope Katheen Powers(October 8, 1939 - October 12, 1985) (his death)
- Spent his "off-time" in a rural West Virginia town named Lewisburg.
- He developed the catch phrase words, "Come on Down!", for the longest-running game show The Price is Right (1972).
- Prolific American television game show announcer almost exclusively with Mark Goodson Productions.
- Was the announcer for The Price is Right (1972) from 1972 to 1985.
- Announced the pilot for Family Feud (1976). His voice was not appropriate enough so they gave it to Gene Wood, a friend of Olson's.
- They're hep to show business... folks in California are real friendly. I think L.A. audiences see it all and may even get it all. But the L.A. audience is more reserved, where New Yorkers react with gusto.
- We bought a farm in West Virginia, with the intention that we'd leave New York and retire there in 3-5 years. However, Mr. Goodson called me and said he needed me to relocate to California, as he had some big shows that he thought could change my career in a positive way. We kept the place in West Virginia, got an apartment in California, and spent time going back and forth. While he was correct about my career changing in positive ways, the travel became brutal after a while.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content