1. Don Pardo was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, to Dominick George Don Pardo Sr.
15 Facts About Don Pardo
1. 2.
Don Pardo spent his childhood in Norwich, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated from Emerson College in 1942.
3.
Don Pardo was hired for his first radio position at NBC affiliate WJAR in Providence in 1938.
4.
Don Pardo joined NBC full-time as an in-house announcer in 1944, remaining on the network staff for 60 years.
5.
Don Pardo made his mark on game shows for NBC in 1952 as the announcer on Winner Take All, and as the voice of the original The Price Is Right from 1956 until it moved to ABC in 1963.
6.
Don Pardo squeezed in many other assignments at NBC, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, WNBC-TV's Live at Five and NBC Nightly News.
7.
Don Pardo's best-known announcing work was for the television series Saturday Night Live.
8.
Don Pardo's was the fourth voice heard on the show's premiere episode in 1975, after the first cold open sketch featuring Michael O'Donoghue, John Belushi and Chevy Chase.
9.
Don Pardo remained the program's announcer except for one season, when it was announced by Mel Brandt or Bill Hanrahan.
10.
In December 1976, Don Pardo participated in a musical performance by Frank Zappa, reciting a verse of the song "I'm the Slime".
11.
Don Pardo reprised this role on the live-recorded version of the song for the Zappa in New York album.
12.
Don Pardo provided narration for the songs "The Illinois Enema Bandit" and "Punky's Whips".
13.
On Saturday, February 23,2008, Don Pardo appeared at the closing of Saturday Night Live to blow out the candles on his 90th birthday cake.
14.
In 2010, Don Pardo was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
15.
Don Pardo died in his sleep on August 18,2014, in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 96.