Here is a look at the life of Bob Barker, former host of the “Price is Right.”
Personal:
Birth date: December 12, 1923
Birth place: Darrington, Washington
Birth name: Robert William Barker
Father: Byron Barker, a utility worker
Mother: Matilda (Tarleton) Barker
Marriage: Dorothy Jo (Gideon) Barker (January 12, 1945-1981, her death)
Education: Drury College, B.A., 1947
Military service: US Naval Reserves, 1943-1945
Other Facts:
Ended each show with the line, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”
Animal rights activist.
Winner of 19 Daytime Emmy Awards.
Barker contributed $5 million to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a marine wildlife and environmental protection group, to help end international whaling. The society named a ship in their fleet the “Bob Barker.”
Timeline:
1950-1956 – Host of radio program “The Bob Barker Show.”
1956-1975 – Host of game show “Truth or Consequences” on NBC.
1966-1987 – Host of the “Miss Universe” and “Miss USA Beauty Pageants.” Resigns after pageant officials refuse to stop giving fur coats as awards.
1969-1985 – Host of the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
1969-1988 – Emcees the New Year’s Day “Tournament of Roses Parade.”
September 4, 1972 – Premiere of “The Price Is Right” on CBS with Barker as host.
1972-2007 – Host of “The Price Is Right,” TV’s longest running game show.
1981-1999 – Winner of nine Emmy awards for “Best Audience Participation Host.”
1993 – “Barker Beauty” Dian Parkinson sues for sexual harassment, asking for $8 million. The lawsuit is dropped in 1995.
1995 – Founds the DJ&T Foundation to help fund low-cost pet neutering. The foundation is named after his wife, Dorothy Jo and his mother, nicknamed Tilly.
1996 – Wins an MTV Movie Award for “best fight scene” for his cameo appearance and brawl with Adam Sandler in “Happy Gilmore.”
March 11, 1998 – “Stage 33” at CBS Television City in Los Angeles is renamed “Bob Barker Studio” after the 5,000th episode of “The Price Is Right.”
1999 – Wins a Daytime Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
2002 – Suffers a stroke and undergoes prostate surgery.
April 26, 2002 – Breaks Johnny Carson’s record for continuous performances on the same network television show, with 29 years, seven months and 22 days.
June 26, 2004 – Is inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
2004 – Another longtime “Barker Beauty” Holly Hallstrom wins a $3 million settlement in an appeals court, over allegations that she was fired from “The Price is Right” for failing to lose weight.
October 31, 2006 – Announces his upcoming retirement for June 2007.
March 20, 2007 – The LA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals honors Barker with their President’s Award.
May 16, 2007 – CBS airs “The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular,” Barker’s last hosting duties in primetime.
May 17, 2007 – “Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television,” a tribute to his 50-year career, 35 of which were on “The Price Is Right,” airs on CBS.
June 15, 2007 – Barker’s last episode as host airs.
November 14, 2007 – Is inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
February 11, 2008 – Delivers a $1-million-dollar endowment to his alma mater Drury University. The donation will go towards the creation of the country’s first undergraduate course on animal ethics.
April 6, 2009 – Hachette/Center Street releases Barker’s first memoir “Priceless Memories.”
March 10, 2010 – Ribbon cutting ceremony held in Los Angeles at the Bob Barker Building. Barker donated $2.5 million to PETA to purchase and renovate the building.
November 2, 2011 – Barker urges the passage of theTraveling Exotic Animal Protection Act. He states that traveling circuses rely on animals that are trained to do tricks, and this is accomplished with acts of cruelty.
December 12, 2013 – Returns to “The Price is Right” to celebrate his 90th birthday.
October 20, 2015 – Is hospitalized after tripping and hitting his head on a sidewalk.
November 19, 2018 – Is hospitalized for severe back pain, the second time in a month.
