Since then, television has diversified to include women and minority quizmasters, such as Meredith Viera (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”), Mario Lopez (“Masters of the Maze”), and Steve Harvey (“Family Feud”), who is one of America’s most loved TV personalities.įor the luckier game show hosts, a gig on a quiz program can lead to a long career on TV.

Nearly all of the hosts of the early game shows were white males. Game show hosts have been comedians (Groucho Marx on “You Bet Your Life”), playwrights (Moss Hart on “Answer Yes or No”), former athletes (Michael Strahan on “The $100,000 Pyramid”), British imports (Richard Dawson on “Family Feud”), even newsmen (Mike Wallace on a slew of game shows in the 1950s). The scandal was depicted in the 1994 movie “Quiz Show,” directed by Robert Redford. Joyce Brothers, who later gained fame as a psychologist, television personality, and columnist, became the only woman to win the top prize on “The $64,000 Question.” In the 1950s, a scandal involving rigged game shows tainted the format and hosts such as Jack Barry were effectively blacklisted from television until the late 1960s. Some of television’s earliest game shows projected an erudite and sophisticated image, such as “I’ve Got a Secret,” “What’s My Line” and “To Tell the Truth.” Others, including “The $64,000 Question,” could be intellectually challenging. Many hosts have become celebrities in their own right.Ĭlick here to see the most popular game show hosts. We considered Wikipedia page views to gauge a game show host’s popularity, factored in their longevity and place in television history, and exercised editorial discretion to create our list.īesides the entertainment value of the format, a game show’s success depends on the personality, charisma, and quick-wittedness of the host who is able to convey the possibility, albeit remote, of getting rich quickly by luck or intelligence. In honor of his birthday, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of famous game show hosts by reviewing various media sources and websites, such as the Internet Movie Database.

The iconic game-show host has a legion of fans, as evidenced by the outpouring of concern over his public battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek just turned 80.

List of newlywed game contestants