60 Facts About Bob Barker

Robert William Barker was an American media personality and animal rights advocate.

Bob Barker hosted CBS's The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in North American television history, from 1972 to 2007.

Bob Barker joined the United States Navy Reserve during World War II.

In 1950, Bob Barker moved to California to pursue a broadcasting career.

Bob Barker was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for six years.

Bob Barker began his game show career in 1956, hosting Truth or Consequences.

Bob Barker 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, Bob Barker retired from hosting The Price Is Right after celebrating his 50-year career on television.

Bob Barker was born on December 12,1923, in Darrington, Washington, and spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota.

Bob Barker's mother, Matilda Valandra, was a schoolteacher; his father, Byron John Barker, was the foreman on the electrical high line through the state of Washington.

Bob Barker attended the grade school on the Rosebud Reservation where his mother was a teacher.

Bob 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.

Bob Barker attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, on a basketball athletic scholarship.

Bob Barker was a member of the Epsilon Beta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity at Drury.

Bob Barker joined the United States Navy Reserve in 1943 during World War II to train as a fighter pilot but did not serve in combat.

On January 12,1945, while on leave from the military, Bob Barker married Dorothy Jo.

Barker was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for the next six years from Burbank.

Bob Barker was hosting an audience-participation radio show on KNX 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.

Bob Barker started hosting Truth or Consequences on December 31,1956, and continued with the program until 1975.

In 1977, James' contract was not renewed, and Bob Barker took over as host of the nighttime edition of The Price Is Right until its cancellation in 1980.

On September 4,1972, Bob Barker began hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right.

On October 15,1987, Bob Barker did what other MCs almost never did then: he stopped using hair dye and let his hair go gray, its natural color by that time.

On October 31,2006, Bob Barker announced that he would retire from The Price Is Right in June 2007.

Bob Barker taped his final episode on June 6,2007, with the show airing twice on June 15; once in Daytime and once on Primetime.

Bob Barker first appeared on the episode that aired on April 16,2009, to promote his new autobiography, Priceless Memories.

Bob Barker appeared in the Showcase round at the end of the show.

Bob Barker made another guest appearance on the show to celebrate his 90th birthday, which aired on December 12,2013.

Bob Barker announced a contestant for the first time ever on the show, along with one showcase.

Bob Barker's last appearance was a surprise appearance on April 1,2015, for an April Fools' Day switch where he took Carey's place at the show's intro.

Bob Barker hosted the first bid and pricing game of that day before handing the hosting duties back to Carey; Bob Barker later appeared during the showcase.

Bob Barker was married to Dorothy Jo Gideon from 1945 until her death from lung cancer at age 57 in 1981.

From 1983 until his death, Bob Barker was in a long-term relationship with Nancy Burnet, an admitted "radical" animal rights activist nearly 20 years younger than Bob Barker.

Bob Barker had no children with either woman, stating that he had seen friends who had poor relationships with their children and felt like he was too busy to properly raise a child; as of 2007, Bob Barker stated that he had no regrets about his decision.

In 1987, Bob Barker requested the removal of fur prizes for the Miss USA pageant and stepped down as host when the producers refused.

In 2009, Bob Barker wrote a letter about three businesses in Cherokee, North Carolina, asking them to close their bear exhibits.

Bob Barker threatened to not attend the 2009 Game Show Awards, where Barker was to receive a lifetime achievement award, because Betty White would be attending.

Bob Barker made similar donations to Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, Duke University School of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Bob Barker participated in several PETA public service announcements over the years, including one that claimed that vegan diets prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Bob Barker countersued for slander, but Hallstrom prevailed, receiving a settlement in 2005.

Curling, who is black, alleged that the show's producers, including Bob Barker, created a hostile work environment in which black employees and contestants were discriminated against.

On September 16,1999, Bob Barker was in Washington, DC, to testify before Congress regarding proposed legislation that would ban captive elephants from traveling shows, such as circuses.

Bob Barker was admitted to George Washington University Hospital and diagnosed with a partially blocked left carotid artery.

The procedure went well enough that Bob Barker was able to return to work within the month.

Three years later, Bob Barker had two additional health crises after taping the 30th-season finale of The Price is Right.

Bob Barker had several mild bouts with skin cancer, a result of his frequent tanning.

Bob Barker consulted a dermatologist regularly to make sure any cancers were caught and removed before they spread; they did not pose a threat to his life.

Bob Barker slipped and hit his head at home on June 19,2017.

Bob Barker's maid drove him to the emergency room, where Barker was checked and released.

Bob Barker's representative said it was not as serious as his earlier fall.

In October and November 2018, Bob Barker was rushed to the hospital for severe back pain.

Bob Barker suffered another fall in January 2019, but he was not hospitalized.

On September 7,2009, Bob Barker was a special guest host for WWE Raw in Rosemont, Illinois.

Bob Barker agreed to be a rotating guest co-host on The Huckabee Show, a daily TV talk show hosted by Mike Huckabee.

Bob Barker first appeared on the show on July 29,2010.

Bob Barker sat in Richard Dawson's former place during the first week after Dawson permanently left Match Game.

Bob Barker often appeared in fiction as himself, usually in a cameo appearance, in shows including The Nanny, The Bold and the Beautiful, Futurama, and How I Met Your Mother.

In 1996, Bob Barker played himself in the Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore.

In one scene, Bob Barker beats up Gilmore after an altercation arising from their teaming up in a Pro-Am Golf Tournament.

About one year after his retirement from The Price Is Right, Bob Barker appeared in a public service announcement promoting the transition to digital television in the United States.

Bob Barker was honored after his death with an hour-long TV special celebrating his life.