Jim Lange facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Lange
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Lange in 1971
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| Born |
James John Lange
August 15, 1932 |
| Died | February 25, 2014 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | TV host/Game show host |
| Years active | 1965–2005 |
| Spouse(s) | Fay Madigan (1953–1975) Nancy Fleming (1978–2014, his death) |
| Children | 3 |
James John Lange (born August 15, 1932 – died February 25, 2014) was a popular American game show host and disc jockey. Many people knew his voice from radio stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He worked on the radio for over 45 years! Jim Lange was also famous for hosting several TV game shows, especially The Dating Game.
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Early Life and Radio Beginnings
Jim Lange started his radio journey when he was just a teenager in Minnesota. He won an audition and soon became a kids' show host called "Captain 11" on a TV station.
After high school, he went to the University of Minnesota. Then, he served in the Marines. After that, Jim moved to San Francisco. He started working on radio there, first as "The All-Night Mayor" on KGO, and later on KSFO in 1960.
Becoming a Game Show Host
Jim Lange's TV career began in San Francisco in 1962. He was an announcer and helper for the host of The Ford Show.
Just three years later, in 1965, he started hosting The Dating Game. This show became very famous! While he was still working on the radio in San Francisco, he would travel to Los Angeles to film the TV show.
Jim Lange hosted many other game shows too. Some of these included:
- Oh My Word (1965–1969)
- $100,000 Name That Tune (1984–1985)
- The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime
- Bowling for Dollars (1976–1977)
- Bullseye (1980–1982)
He also appeared as himself on popular TV shows like Bewitched, Laverne & Shirley, and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. He even played as a celebrity on game shows like Scrabble and Hollywood Squares.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1970, Jim Lange started working on a radio station in Los Angeles called KMPC. This helped him with his travel for The Dating Game. He later returned to KSFO in San Francisco and stayed there until 1983.
In the early 1990s, Jim went back to full-time radio in the San Francisco Bay Area. He hosted morning shows on "Magic 61," which played classic American songs by artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
In 1997, Jim became the morning host of The Lange Gang on KABL in San Francisco. He retired in 2005 when KABL stopped broadcasting. Jim also appeared in the 2002 movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
Jim Lange lived in Marin County, California, with his wife, Nancy Fleming. Nancy was a former Miss America from 1961, and they married in 1978.
Jim Lange passed away from a heart attack at his home in Mill Valley, California, on February 25, 2014. He was 81 years old.
Images for kids
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Lange in 1971
