Bob Barker

Bob Barker
Barker in 1975
Born
Robert William Barker

(1923-12-12)December 12, 1923
Darrington, Washington, U.S.
DiedAugust 26, 2023(2023-08-26) (aged 99)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathProblems caused by Alzheimer's disease
Resting placeForest Lawn Hollywood Hills
EducationDrury University (BA)
Occupations
  • Television personality
  • game show host
  • animal rights advocate
Years active
  • 1950–2007
  • 2009–2015
Television
Spouse
Dorothy Jo Gideon
​
​
(m. 1945; died 1981)​
Military service
ServiceUnited States Army Air Forces
Years of service1944–1946
RankStaff Sergeant
UnitArmed Forces Radio Service
Wars
AwardsGood Conduct Medal
Signature

Robert William "Bob" Barker (December 12, 1923 – August 26, 2023) was an American television game show host and animal rights activist. He was best known for hosting CBS's The Price is Right from 1972 to 2007 and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1974.

Early life

Barker was born Robert William Barker on December 12, 1923 in Darrington, Washington. He was of Sioux descent.

Barker met his future wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, at an Ella Fitzgerald concert while he was attending high school in Missouri; they began dating when he was 15. He went to Drury College (now Drury University) in Springfield, Missouri.

Career

Barker started hosting Truth or Consequences on December 31, 1956. He continued with the program until 1974. On December 4, 1957, Barker began hosting a new Ralph Edwards creation, the short-lived End of the Rainbow for NBC.

On September 4, 1972, Barker began hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. On October 15, 1987, Barker did what other MCs almost never did: he stopped using hair dye and allowed his hair to turn gray.

On October 31, 2006, Barker made his announcement that he would retire from The Price Is Right in June 2007. He taped his last episode on June 6, 2007. The show aired twice on June 15.

Barker acted as himself in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy movie Happy Gilmore.

Barker won nineteen Daytime Emmy Awards.

Barker broke Johnny Carson's record for continuous performances on the same network television show, appearing for a total of twenty-nine years. At the time of his retirement at aged 83, Barker held the record of oldest person to host a regularly scheduled game show.

Personal life and death

Barker married Dorothy Jo Gideon in 1945. He had no children. Despite retiring from television, Barker was an active animal rights activist. In 1993, Dian Parkinson sued Barker for sexual harassment and the lawsuit was dropped in 1995.

Barker was a skin cancer survivor. On September 17, 2010, Barker collapsed at an L.A. shooting range. He was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for an adverse drug reaction and released.

Barker died on August 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 99. The cause of death was problems caused by Alzheimer's disease.

References

  1. ↑ "Bob Barker". Biography. July 24, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Bob Barker Biography - Game Show Host, Animal Rights Activist. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Severo, Richard (August 26, 2023). "Bob Barker, Longtime Host of 'The Price Is Right,' Dies at 99". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Robert (Bob) Barker – South Dakota's Indian Census Roll April 1, 1930". Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  5. ↑ S, Asmita (September 26, 2017). "The Price is Right's Bob Barker Honored His Late Wife on Her 36th Death Anniversary in This Touching Way Despite Poor Health". Women Working. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Famous Sigma Nus". Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  7. 1 2 McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television. (4th edition) Penguin Books. p. 867. ISBN 978-0-14-024916-3.
  8. ↑ Steward Levine (March 24, 2009). "Barker to appear on 'Price Is Right'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  9. ↑ McNeil, p. 671
  10. ↑ KING, SUSAN (8 July 1990). "Bob Barker Wins the Game of Endurance" – via LA Times.
  11. ↑ Keveney, Bill (November 1, 2006). "Bob Barker, 82, to retire". USA Today. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  12. ↑ Adalian, Josef (May 22, 2007). "Barker's final 'Price' airing June 15". Variety. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
  13. ↑ "Filmreference Bob Barker Biography (1923–)".
  14. ↑ "Bob Barker wins his 19th Daytime Emmy Award". Ocala.com. June 17, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Bob Barker Fast Facts". CNN.com. 25 June 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bob Barker (1923–2023), longtime host of The Price Is Right". Legacy. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ Lipton, Michael A. (September 6, 1999). "He's Got Game". People. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Bob Barker's Relationships: His Wife of 35 Years and GF of 40 Years". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  19. ↑ Morris, Joan (October 17, 2018). "How did Bob Barker help influence a nation to neuter their pets?".
  20. ↑ Dian Parkinson Bio Archived December 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Bob Barker Has Skin Cancer Again". CBS News. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Bob Barker hospitalized after collapsing in LA shooting range". Allvoices.com. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Bob Barker, longtime host of 'The Price Is Right' and animal rights activist, dies at 99". ABC7 Los Angeles. August 26, 2023.
  24. ↑ Barnhardt, Adam. "Price Is Right Host Bob Barker's Cause of Death Revealed". comicbook.com. Retrieved 5 September 2023.

Other websites

Media related to Bob Barker at Wikimedia Commons