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Bob Barker

Robert William Barker (December 12, 1923 – August 26, 2023) was an American media personality and animal rights advocate. He hosted CBS's The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in North American television history, from 1972 to 2007. He also hosted Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.

For the activist group Sea Shepherd's ship, see MY Bob Barker. For the prison supply company, see Bob Barker Company. For the rugby player, see Bob Barker (rugby union).

Bob Barker

Robert William Barker

(1923-12-12)December 12, 1923
Darrington, Washington, U.S.

August 26, 2023(2023-08-26) (aged 99)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills

Drury University (BA)

  • Media personality
  • game show host
  • animal rights advocate

  • 1950–2007
  • 2009–2015
Dorothy Jo Gideon
​
​
(m. 1945; died 1981)​
[1]

Born in Darrington, Washington, in modest circumstances, Barker spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and was a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He joined the United States Navy Reserve during World War II. Barker worked part-time in radio while attending college. In 1950, he moved to California to pursue a broadcasting career. He was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for six years.[1] He began his game show career in 1956, hosting Truth or Consequences.


Barker began hosting The Price Is Right in 1972. He became an advocate for animal rights and of animal rights activism, supporting groups such as the United Activists for Animal Rights, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In 2007, Barker retired from hosting The Price Is Right after celebrating his 50-year career on television. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he continued to make occasional appearances for several years into his retirement until 2015.

Career

Broadcasting

While attending college in Drury, Barker worked his first media job at KTTS-FM Radio in Springfield. He and his wife left Springfield and moved to Lake Worth Beach, Florida, and he was news editor and announcer at nearby WWPG 1340 AM in Palm Beach (now WPBR in Lantana).[10] In 1950, he moved to California to advance his broadcasting career. He was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for the next six years from Burbank.[1] He was hosting an audience-participation radio show on KNX (AM) in Los Angeles when game show producer Ralph Edwards, who was looking for a new host to replace Jack Bailey on the daytime-television version of his long-running show, Truth or Consequences, happened to be listening and liked Barker's voice and style.[11]

Barker appeared on , playing a character named Mort in the 1960 episode "Denver McKee".[62]

Bonanza

Barker was a semi-regular panelist on the game shows (1975–1976, with wife Dorothy Jo) and Match Game (1973–1980). Barker sat in Richard Dawson's former place during the first week of Dawson's permanent absence from Match Game.[62]

Tattletales

In the 1970s, he was the host of the annual/biennial (the bake-off occurred every two years starting in 1976). In 1978, he was the first host to have a male category champ.[62]

Pillsbury Bake-Off

Barker co-hosted CBS's coverage of the from Pasadena, California, for several years during the 1970s and 1980s.[62]

Rose Parade

Barker appeared on various talk shows such as: , Larry King Live, The Arsenio Hall Show, Crook & Chase, Donny & Marie, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wayne Brady Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[62]

Dinah!

Barker also made cameo appearances on and The Bold and the Beautiful, respectively in 1994 and 2002.[62][63]

The Nanny

In 1996, Barker played himself in the comedy Happy Gilmore. In one scene, Barker beats up Gilmore after an altercation arising from their teaming up in a Pro-Am Golf Tournament.[64] In 2007, during a CBS prime-time special commemorating Barker's career, the fight scene from Happy Gilmore was shown, after which Sandler made a surprise appearance on stage to read a poem paying tribute to Barker.[65] In 2015, during Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars" benefit show to battle autism, Barker and Sandler reunited for a video featuring the two of them in a follow-up fight at the hospital, which ends with both of them dying and going to heaven.[66]

Adam Sandler

About one year after his retirement from The Price Is Right, Barker appeared in a promoting the transition to digital television in the United States. The advertisement was produced under the first proposed date of February 16, 2009, for the transition.[67][68]

public service announcement

On September 7, 2009, Barker was a special guest host for (called "The Price is Raw") in Rosemont, Illinois.[69] Aired during a period when nearly every episode of the weekly wrestling show featured a celebrity guest host, with mixed results, Barker's appearance has been ranked the best of nearly 80 hosts.[70]

WWE Raw

Barker agreed to be a rotating guest co-host on The Huckabee Show, a daily TV talk show hosted by . Barker first appeared on the show on July 29, 2010.[71]

Mike Huckabee

Barker appeared in a commercial for 's "Magic Jingle" campaign, where he made "a new car!" appear for a woman whose previous car was totaled by a giant concrete cylinder.[72]

State Farm Insurance

Barker filmed a TV advertisement endorsing , a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for the 2014 Florida's 13th congressional district special election. Jolly won the nomination and ultimately won the seat.[73]

David Jolly

Barker voiced the character Bob Barnacle, a snail business owner on "Sanctuary!", an episode of the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants.[74]

Nickelodeon

Barker was honored after his death with an hour-long TV special celebrating his life. It aired on August 31, 2023.

[75]

Barker appeared on the show , acting as himself.[76]

Futurama

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host

Autobiography

Barker's autobiography, Priceless Memories, written with former Los Angeles Times book review editor Digby Diehl, was published on April 6, 2009.[11]

List of animal rights advocates

at IMDb

Bob Barker

at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

Bob Barker