Kathie Lee Gifford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathie Lee Gifford
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Gifford in 2020
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Kathryn Lee Epstein
August 16, 1953 Paris, France
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Oral Roberts University |
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| Years active | 1970-present |
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Kathryn Lee Gifford (born August 16, 1953) is an American television host, singer, actress, and author. She is famous for co-hosting the popular talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee with Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000.
Gifford is also known for co-hosting the fourth hour of NBC's Today show with Hoda Kotb for 11 years, from 2008 to 2019. For her work on Today, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010. She has released music albums and written several books.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kathie Lee was born in Paris, France, to American parents. Her father, Aaron Epstein, was a musician who served in the U.S. Navy. Her mother, Joan, was a singer. Because her father was stationed in France, Kathie Lee was born there. She grew up in Bowie, Maryland, and went to Bowie High School.
Her family had a mix of backgrounds. Her father's side was Russian Jewish, and her mother's side was French Canadian, German, and English. At age 12, she became a born-again Christian after watching a film by Billy Graham.
In high school, Gifford was part of a folk music group. After graduating in 1971, she went to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma to study drama and music.
Career in Television
First TV Appearances
Gifford's career began in the late 1970s. She was a singer on the game show Name That Tune. In 1978, she joined the cast of Hee Haw Honeys, a spin-off of the popular show Hee Haw. In the early 1980s, she sometimes worked as a reporter for ABC's Good Morning America.
Hosting Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee
On June 24, 1985, Gifford became the co-host of The Morning Show in New York City with Regis Philbin. The show was a big hit. In 1988, it was broadcast across the country and renamed Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
Viewers enjoyed hearing Gifford talk about her life with her husband, sportscaster Frank Gifford, and their children, Cody and Cassidy. She became one of the most famous faces on morning television. She and Philbin were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host eight years in a row.
Gifford left the show on July 28, 2000, to explore new opportunities in her career.
Joining the Today Show
In 2008, Gifford returned to morning television. She joined Hoda Kotb to co-host the fourth hour of NBC's Today show. Their segment was called Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda.
The show was very successful, and its ratings grew over the years. In 2019, Gifford and Kotb won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host. Gifford left the Today show on April 5, 2019, to focus on making movies.
Other Projects
Movies and TV Shows
Gifford has appeared in many movies and TV shows, often playing herself. She had a cameo in the 1994 Seinfeld episode "The Opposite" and the 2015 movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. She also did voice work for the animated series Hercules and Higglytown Heroes.
After leaving the Today show, she began to focus on her film career. She starred in the 2020 movie Then Came You with Craig Ferguson. She also plans to direct and produce more films.
In 2021, Gifford received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television.
Music and Theatre
Gifford is also a talented singer and songwriter. She has released several music albums, including The Heart of a Woman in 2000.
She has also worked in musical theatre. She wrote the book and lyrics for a musical called Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson. The show played on Broadway in 2012. Its lead actress, Carolee Carmello, received a Tony Award nomination for her performance.
Charity and Activism
Gifford supports many charities. She is an ambassador for Childhelp, an organization that works to prevent child abuse. She and her husband Frank also helped fund two homes in New York City for babies born with serious health problems.
In 1996, it was reported that clothing sold under her name was being made in "sweatshops," which are factories with poor and unfair working conditions. At first, Gifford was very surprised by the news. She then worked with the U.S. government to help create laws that protect workers, especially children, from these conditions.
Personal Life
Kathie Lee was married to music producer Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1982.
On October 18, 1986, she married Frank Gifford, a famous football player and sports commentator. They had two children: a son, Cody, and a daughter, Cassidy Gifford. Frank Gifford passed away in 2015 at the age of 84.
In 2017, Kathie Lee released a song called "He Saw Jesus" in memory of her husband.
Written Works
Gifford has written many books, including several autobiographies about her life and experiences. She has also written books about her Christian faith and several books for children.
- I Can't Believe I Said That!: An Autobiography (1992)
- Listen to My Heart (1995)
- Just When I Thought I'd Dropped my Last Egg (2010)
- The Rock, the Road and the Rabbi (2018)
- It’s Never Too Late (2020)
- The Jesus I Know (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Kathie Lee Gifford para niños
- New Yorkers in journalism
- Carnival Ecstasy (Sponsor)
