Gene Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gene Wood
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Gene Wood in an on-camera appearance on the finale of Card Sharks in 1981.
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Eugene Edward Wood
October 20, 1925 Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | May 21, 2004 (aged 78) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Television personality, announcer, game show host |
| Years active | 1965–1998 |
Eugene Edward Wood (born October 20, 1925 – died May 21, 2004) was an American TV star. He was famous for being the announcer on many exciting game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced lots of popular game shows. These included Family Feud, Classic Concentration, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the Clock.
Gene also hosted Beat the Clock for a short time. He also hosted another show called Anything You Can Do. After leaving game shows in 1996, Gene worked for the Game Show Network. He fully retired in 1998.
Contents
About Gene Wood
Early Life and Education
Gene Wood was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. He went to Emerson College. There, he studied speech and theater. This helped him prepare for his future career in television.
Starting His Career
Gene's early jobs were quite varied. He worked as a stand-up comedian. He also appeared in TV commercials. Gene even wrote for Bob Keeshan, who was famous as Captain Kangaroo.
One cool project was a cartoon series called The Adventures of Lariat Sam. This cartoon aired on the Captain Kangaroo show. Gene provided voices for the characters and sang the theme song! He also performed comedy acts in nightclubs with his partner, Bill Dana.
Becoming a Game Show Announcer
Gene's first time as a game show announcer was in 1966. He filled in on the ABC version of Supermarket Sweep. Three years later, he started working a lot with Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. They made many popular game shows.
He was the announcer for Beat the Clock from 1969 to 1972. Later, he even became the host of that show! In 1971–72, Gene also hosted Anything You Can Do. This show had teams of men and women competing in fun stunts. He also appeared as a celebrity guest on Match Game in 1974.
By 1976, Gene was a regular voice for Goodson–Todman game shows. Besides announcing, he often warmed up the audience before the shows. He would even perform funny comedy skits for them!
Famous Game Show Roles
One of Gene's most well-known jobs was announcing Family Feud. He announced the original version, hosted by Richard Dawson, from 1976 to 1985. When Family Feud came back in 1988 with Ray Combs as host, Gene was still the announcer. He stayed with the show until 1995.
He also announced for Card Sharks on both its original run and its revivals. The first Card Sharks aired from 1978–81. Later versions ran from 1986 to 1989.
Gene also briefly announced for The Price Is Right in 1985. This was after the original announcer, Johnny Olson, passed away. Gene was one of a few announcers who filled in before Rod Roddy took over. He also announced the nightly version of Price hosted by Tom Kennedy.
Gene was the regular announcer for many other shows, including:
- Tattletales (1974–78)
- Double Dare (1976–77)
- Password Plus (1979–82)
- Super Password (1984–89)
- Love Connection (1985–1988)
- Classic Concentration (1987–91)
- Win, Lose or Draw (1987–90)
- Family Challenge (1995-96)
Before he retired in the late 1990s, he also did voiceovers for the Game Show Network.
Other Work
In 1965, Gene wrote the narration for a movie called The World of Abbott and Costello.
Later Life and Death
Gene Wood retired to Adamsville, Rhode Island, in the 1990s. He passed away on May 21, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was 78 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Gene Wood para niños
