Chuck Woolery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Chuck Woolery with season three Lingo co-host Stacey Hayes |
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| Born: | March 16, 1941 Ashland, Kentucky |
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| Occupation: | game show host |
| Spouse: | Kim Barnes |
| Children: | 6 (1 deceased) |
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery (born on March 16, 1941) is a popular game show host, best known for hosting the dating game show Love Connection, from its debut in 1983 to its ending in 1994. He currently hosts Lingo on GSN.
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[edit] Background
Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery grew up an avid fisherman. He attended Eastern Kentucky University and made his first foray into the entertainment business as a member of the band The Avant Garde with his partner Elkin "Bubba" Fowler. In 1968, The Avant Garde produced the moderate hit Naturally Stoned (which inspired the name for Woolery's reality series on GSN). In the early 1970s he appeared on the children's series New Zoo Revue as Mr. Dingle.
Woolery has been married four times. He had three children—Cary, Katharine and Chad—with his first wife, Margaret Hayes. Chad died in a motorcyle accident in 1986 at age 19. His second wife was actress Jo Ann Pflug, with whom he had a daughter, Melissa. His third wife was Teri Nelson, the granddaughter of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The couple had two sons, Michael and Sean. Woolery married his fourth wife, Kim Barnes, on July 17, 2006, in Las Vegas. In 2006 he bought a house near Austin, Texas.
Woolery is a devout, born again Christian and spends a great deal of time involved in volunteer ministry.
[edit] Career
Starting as an enterprising folk/pop singer, Woolery was first seen on a 1974 rendition of Your Hit Parade, and was soon recognized as quality master-of-ceremonies material. At the urging of television host Merv Griffin, he accepted hosting duties for newly created game show Wheel of Fortune in 1975. Woolery eventually left Wheel of Fortune in a salary dispute with show producers, which he has admitted was a mistake on his part. However, with his strong looks, casual wit and friendly charm, Woolery has since become one of the most respected and liked game show hosts in the business.
One of the most recognizable faces in game show television, Woolery has hosted Wheel (1975-1981), Love Connection (1983-1994), Scrabble (1984-1990, 1993), The Home and Family Show (1996-97, co-host), The Dating Game (1997-98 update), Greed (1999-2000) and Lingo (2002-present). In addition, he was the subject of a reality show, Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned, and has been seen on television infomercials as a national spokesman for National Recreational Properties, promoting developing real estate communities such as Holiday Island in Arkansas. He even had his own television talk show, called The Chuck Woolery Show, which lasted for only a few months in 1988. Game show announcer Randy West did the announcing for this show. Chuck has added narration for GSN's daytime lineup schedule since April 2005, and these bumpers run from the start of GSN's daily schedule until just before 4 PM, when the generic bumper takes the spot.
Woolery often speaks enthusiastically about bass fishing and sells his own line of fishing products, including his motorized fishing lure, the MotoLure. Woolery's passion for the outdoors has also driven him to become the "Official Outdoor Spokesman" on QVC - the television shopping network - where Woolery promotes many others of his signature products. His current game show, Lingo, is going into its sixth season on GSN. On Lingo he once identified his worst nightmare as "being attacked by a large Calico cat named Skippy." Woolery also plays on the World Poker Tour Hollywood Homes Games for the charity Safe Passage. He is known for his trademark commercial outro of "two and two" along with a two-finger hand gesture, much like a peace sign, which he first started using on "Love Connection".
| Preceded by: Edd Byrnes (1974 pilot) |
Host of Wheel of Fortune 1975–1981 |
Succeeded by: Pat Sajak (1981-89, daytime; 1983-present, syndication) |
| Preceded by: None |
Host of Love Connection 1983–1994 |
Succeeded by: Pat Bullard in the 1998-1999 revival |
| Preceded by: None |
Host of Scrabble (game show) 1984–1990, 1993 |
Succeeded by: None, Show Discontinued |
| Preceded by: Ralph Andrews (1988) |
Host of Lingo 2002–present |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
