Art Fleming facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Art Fleming
Fleming in August 1970
Born	Arthur Fleming Fazzin (1924-05-01)May 1, 1924 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 25, 1995(1995-04-25) (aged 70) Crystal River, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Television host radio host actor
Years active	1949–1992
Known for	Original host of Jeopardy!
Spouse(s)	Mildred Goodrich ​ (m. 1946)​ Peggy Ann Ellis ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1974)​ Becky Weaver ​ (m. 1977)​

Arthur Fleming Fazzin (born May 1, 1924 – died April 25, 1995) was an American actor and TV host. He is best known as the first host of the popular TV game show Jeopardy!. This show first aired on NBC from 1964 to 1975, and then again from 1978 to 1979.

Early Life and Beginnings

Art Fleming was born in New York City. His parents, William and Marie Fazzin, came to the United States from Austria. They were famous dancers in Europe before moving to America.

Art was a very tall and strong young man. He stood about 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) tall and weighed around 220 pounds (100 kg). He played football in high school at James Monroe High School. He also played football and water polo at Colgate and Cornell Universities.

During World War II, Fleming served in the U.S. Navy. He was a pilot for a patrol bomber plane in the Atlantic Ocean.

Career in Entertainment

After leaving the Navy, Art Fleming started working at a radio station in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. This is where he changed his name to "Art Fleming." His radio career also took him to Akron, Ohio, and back to New York. He was even the first person to say the famous slogan "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should" for Winston cigarettes.

Art Fleming started acting when he was just four years old in a Broadway musical. On TV, he was a stunt double for Ralph Bellamy in a detective show. He also played detective Ken Franklin in the TV series International Detective and attorney Jeremy Pitt in The Californians, a Western show.

Art Fleming (far right) with other NBC game show hosts in 1970.

Hosting Jeopardy!

Art Fleming was seen by TV producer Merv Griffin in a commercial. Griffin thought Fleming was "authoritative, yet warm and interesting." Because of this, Fleming was asked to try out for Griffin's new game show, Jeopardy!.

Fleming got the job and became the show's first host. He hosted Jeopardy! for its original run from 1964 to 1975. He also hosted it again from 1978 to 1979. The announcer, Don Pardo, would introduce him as "the star of Jeopardy!, Art Fleming." As the first host of this popular quiz show, Fleming was nominated for two Emmy Awards. He never missed a single taping of Jeopardy! during his time as host.

Because he hosted a quiz show and loved to read, many people thought Art Fleming knew everything. He once appeared on Hollywood Squares, another game show. He was asked a question about tennis, a sport he knew nothing about! He guessed the answer, and the contestant who chose him won a lot of money because she trusted him. Fleming later said he was just lucky!

Other Roles and Later Career

Throughout his career, Art Fleming appeared in about 5,000 TV shows and 48 movies. After Jeopardy! first ended in 1975, he went back to acting. He was in the movie MacArthur with Gregory Peck. He also appeared in TV shows like Starsky and Hutch.

Fleming also hosted a radio version of College Bowl and a radio talk show on KMOX in St. Louis. He even hosted parts of the PBS science show NOVA.

In 1982, Fleming played himself as the Jeopardy! host in the movie Airplane II: The Sequel. He also appeared in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video "I Lost on Jeopardy".

When Merv Griffin wanted to bring Jeopardy! back in 1983, Fleming was offered the job again. However, he turned it down. His friend, Alex Trebek, then became the host instead. Fleming later said he didn't like the new version of the show. He felt the clues were too easy and had hints in them.

Personal Life

Art Fleming married Mildred Goodrich in 1946, and they had a daughter named Jan. He later married actress Peggy Ann Ellis. After their divorce, he married Becky Lynn in 1977. He adopted Becky's two children, and together they had five grandchildren.

In 1992, Fleming retired and moved with his family to Crystal River, Florida. He was very active in charity work. He helped raise money for the Citrus County United Way and worked with a local abuse shelter. He also hosted a TV show called Senior America, which featured older adults and their activities.

Death

Art Fleming passed away from pancreatic cancer at his home in Florida on April 25, 1995. He was almost 71 years old. His ashes were scattered at sea. Interestingly, his successor on Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek, also passed away from the same disease many years later in 2020.

Partial Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Art Fleming para niños