American audiences love good game shows. In addition to being entertaining, they are also engaging, offering a healthy challenge and a dose of inspiration. Viewers can play along at home or root for their favorite contestants, who are often average people that have an extraordinary opportunity to win it big. These bootstrapping contestants inspire audience members by hinting that we too could have a chance at the jackpot.
The hosts of these productions are tasked with double duty. They must orchestrate suspense and momentum with their live contestants, and also keep home audiences entertained – which is no small feat. The humor and charisma of a good game show host are part of what keeps these shows running for years – and even decades – on end. Hosts including Pat Sajac and Alex Trebek, for instance, boast some of the longest careers in game show history. (Game shows are among the longest-running primetime shows in history.)
24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of famous game show hosts by reviewing various media sources and websites, including IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. We factored in their longevity and place in television history, and exercised editorial discretion to create our list of the most popular among them. (These are some of America’s most loved TV personalities.)
Game shows have been entertaining America since the heyday of radio. Our list covers only TV shows, but includes some of the early greats in that medium, like Dennis James, who has been called “the Godfather of Game Shows” and was the host of television’s first network game show, “Cash and Carry.”
Also included are icons like Bob Barker – the long-time host of “The Price is Right” and winner of 15 Emmy Awards – as well as Chuck Woolery, who got his start as the first host of “Wheel of Fortune,” then continued on to host the hit dating show “The Love Connection.”
A background in comedy is not necessary to be a host, but it sure helps. Celebrity comedians including Drew Carey and Steve Harvey may have begun their careers doing stand-up, but they have since secured roles as popular game show hosts. Other comedians-turned-hosts on the list are Groucho Marx, Wayne Brady, and Howie Mandel.
Alex Trebek
> Years on air: 1966-2021
> Most notable game shows: The Wizard of Odds, High Rollers, Double Dare, Battlestars, Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration, Super Jeopardy!, To Tell the Truth
Allen Ludden
> Years on air: 1959-1980
> Most notable game shows: G.E. College Bowl, Password/Password Allstars/Password Plus, Win With the Stars, Stumpers, Liar’s Club
Art Fleming
> Years on air: 1964-1979
> Most notable game shows: Jeopardy!/The All New Jeopardy!, College Bowl
Bert Convy
> Years on air: 1974-1990
> Most notable game shows: Tattletales; Super Password; Win, Lose or Draw; 3rd Degree
Bill Cullen
> Years on air: 1949-1986
> Most notable game shows: Winner Take All, The Price Is Right, Eye Guess, Three on a Match, The $25,000 Pyramid, Chain Reaction, Blockbusters
Bob Barker
> Years on air: 1956-2007
> Most notable game shows: Truth or Consequences, Family Game, The New Price Is Right/The Price Is Right
Bob Eubanks
> Years on air: 1966-2000
> Most notable game shows: The Newlywed Game, Rhyme and Reason, All Star Secrets, Dream House, Trivia Trap, Card Sharks
Bud Collyer
> Years on air: 1948-1968
> Most notable game shows: Winner Take All, Beat the Clock, On Your Way, Feather Your Nest, To Tell the Truth, Number Please
Chris Hardwick
> Years on air: 1994-present
> Most notable game shows: Trashed, Singled Out, @midnight, The Wall
Chuck Barris
> Years on air: 1962-2010
> Most notable game shows: The Gong Show
Chuck Woolery
> Years on air: 1975-2008
> Most notable game shows: Wheel of Fortune, Love Connection, Scrabble, The Dating Game, Greed, Lingo, Think Like a Cat
Dennis James
> Years on air: 1946-1977
> Most notable game shows: Cash and Carry, The Name’s the Same, The Price Is Right (nighttime), Name That Tune
Drew Carey
> Years on air: 1998-present
> Most notable game shows: Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Power of 10, The Price Is Right
Garry Moore
> Years on air: 1952-1977
> Most notable game shows: I’ve Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth
Gene Rayburn
> Years on air: 1955-1985
> Most notable game shows: The Match Game, The Amateur’s Guide to Love, Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Break the Bank
Groucho Marx
> Years on air: 1950-1962
> Most notable game shows: You Bet Your Life, Tell It to Groucho
Hal March
> Years on air: 1955-1970
> Most notable game shows: The $64,000 Question, What’s It For?, It’s Your Bet
Howie Mandel
> Years on air: 2005-present
> Most notable game shows: Deal or No Deal, Deal or No Deal Canada, Take It All
Jack Barry
> Years on air: 1947-1958, 1969-1980
> Most notable game shows: High Low Quiz, Juvenile Jury, 21, Tic Tac Dough, Concentration, Break the Bank, Joker! Joker!! Joker!!!
Jack Narz
> Years on air: 1957-1979
> Most notable game shows: The Price Is Right, Dotto, Top Dollar, Video Village, Seven Keys, I’ll Bet, Beat the Clock, Concentration, Now You See It
Jill Wagner
> Years on air: 2008-2014
> Most notable game shows: Wipeout
Jim Lange
> Years on air: 1965-1989
> Most notable game shows: The Dating Game, Give-n-Take, Word Grabbers, The $100,000 Name That Tune, The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, Triple Threat
Jim Perry
> Years on air: 1960-1995
> Most notable game shows: Card Sharks, $ale of the Century,
John Charles Daly
> Years on air: 1950-1967
> Most notable game shows: What’s My Line?
Ken Ober
> Years on air: 1987-1990
> Most notable game shows: Remote Control
Marc Summers
> Years on air: 1986-2004
> Most notable game shows: Double Dare/Super Sloppy Double Dare, Couch Potatoes, What Would You Do?, Pick Your Brain, History IQ, WinTuition
Monty Hall
> Years on air: 1961-1991
> Most notable game shows: Video Village/Video Village Junior, Let’s Make a Deal, It’s Anybody’s Guess, Beat the Clock, The Joke’s on Us, Split Second
Pat Sajak
> Years on air: 1981-present
> Most notable game shows: Wheel of Fortune, College Bowl
Peter Marshall
> Years on air: 1966-1998
> Most notable game shows: Hollywood Squares, Storybook Squares, All-Star Blitz, Yahtzee, The Reel to Reel Picture Show
Peter Tomarken
> Years on air: 1976-2003
> Most notable game shows: Press Your Luck, Bargain Hunters, Wipeout,
Ray Combs
> Years on air: 1988-1996
> Most notable game shows: Family Feud/The New Family Feud Challenge, Family Challenge
Regis Philbin
> Years on air: 1975-2009
> Most notable game shows: The Neighbors, Almost Anything Goes, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire, Million Dollar Password
Richard Dawson
> Years on air: 1974-1995
> Most notable game shows: Masquerade Party, Family Feud
Ryan Seacrest
> Years on air: 1994-2013
> Most notable game shows: Gladiators 2000, Wild Animal Games, Click, American Juniors, The Million Second Quiz
Steve Harvey
> Years on air: 2010-present
> Most notable game shows: Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud
Tom Kennedy
> Years on air: 1958-1987
> Most notable game shows: You Don’t Say!, Split Second, Name That Tune/The $100,000 Name That Tune, Whew!/Celebrity Whew!, Password Plus
Wayne Brady
> Years on air: 2006-present
> Most notable game shows: Celebrity Duets, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, Let’s Make a Deal
Wink Martindale
> Years on air: 1964-2010
> Most notable game shows: Gambit, Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers, Debt