John Davidson | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Hamilton Davidson (1941-12-13)December 13, 1941 (age 83) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Denison University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Notable credits |
|
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | Official website |
John Hamilton Davidson[1] (born December 13, 1941)[2] is an American actor, singer, and game show host known for hostingTime Machine,Hollywood Squares, andThat's Incredible! in the 1980s, and a revival ofThe $100,000 Pyramid in 1991.
Davidson was born to Dr. James Allie Davidson (1908–1984) and Elizabeth Emma Beck (1908–1996), bothBaptist ministers, inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. He lived inWest Bridgewater,Massachusetts and graduated fromWhite Plains High School inWhite Plains,New York and then enteredDenison University.[citation needed]
Davidson considered following in his parents' footsteps, but ultimately decided that he "would rather sing about love than preach it."[3]
Davidson worked in situation comedies, game shows, variety shows, and talk shows. In 1964 he appeared in theHallmark Hall of Fame presentation ofThe Fantastiks withRicardo Montalbán andSusan Watson. In the summer of 1966, he was the host of two prime-time variety hour shows,The Kraft Summer Music Hall andThe John Davidson Show, the latter of which includedGeorge Carlin andRichard Pryor.[4] In the 1980s he became well known for co-hostingThat's Incredible! (1980–84), a human-interest/stunt-themed series.[5]
In 1967, Davidson made his film debut inThe Happiest Millionaire, alongsideLesley Ann Warren andFred MacMurray. The following year he appeared with Warren again inThe One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. He appeared as a guest singer onThe Carol Burnett Show in 1967 and 1969, and as the Mystery Guest onWhat's My Line? in 1969.[6] His career was managed by Alan Bernard, former manager of Andy Williams and one of the partners in BNB, the largest personal management firm in the 1970s.
In 1987, during an appearance onScrabble he mentioned that he appeared as an underwear model in the 1959Sears catalog, when he was seventeen.[7] He made hisBroadway debut in the 1964 production ofFoxy, which starredBert Lahr.[8] He also appeared inState Fair in 1996.
He was a member of therepertory company on the short-livedCBS variety showThe Entertainers (1964–65).[9] He was a regular player on many anthology and variety series of the 1970s–80s, includingThe Ed Sullivan Show,The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,Love American Style,The Love Boat,Fantasy Island, andSpenser: For Hire.[10]
Davidson made numerous appearances on the originalHollywood Squares, from the game show's premiere in 1966 to its cancellation in 1981. He was known for his long-winded bluffs which often fooled contestants with his often ridiculous answers to questions the program's host,Peter Marshall, posed. Most times, Marshall could barely conceal a grin as Davidson began some far-fetched but plausible explanations for his answers, often prefaced with some misleading statement like "I just read about it in theNew England Journal of Medicine, it was a fascinating study, and it said that..." Davidson put over these preposterous stories with such sincerity that many a contestant was fooled more than once.
In 1973 and 1974, he starred withSally Field on the situation comedyThe Girl with Something Extra. In 1974 he guest-starred on the television seriesThe Streets of San Francisco, in the episode "Mask of Death", portraying a cross-dressing lounge singer who murders his/her fans. In the episode, Davidson sings in drag while impersonating such notables asCarol Channing, singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". Also in 1974, the singer posed near-nude (with a discreetly placed towel) for the magazineCosmopolitan.
In 1977, Davidson was present at theBeverly Hills Supper Club fire inSouthgate,Kentucky. He was expected to appear onstage as theheadline act the evening the fire broke out. Davidson helped others escape before fleeing through a back door.[11] Davidson's music director, Douglas Herro, was among the 165 victims.[12][13] Davidson was unharmed in the disaster and later participated in a charity concert to raise funds for the families of the victims.
In the late 1970s, the actor appeared 87 times as a regular guest host onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[10] In the early 1980s he hosted his own talk show, produced byWestinghouse Broadcasting/Group W, after it canceledThe Mike Douglas Show.The John Davidson Show aired daily in syndication from 1980 to 1982. In 1985, he hosted the NBC daytime game showTime Machine.[5]
Davidson appeared as a host on real estate promoterDave Del Dotto’s paid programs during the late 1980s and early 1990s, which were notable for taking place in outdoor, scenic settings (such asHawaii). These "infomercials", as they have come to be called, often appeared on late night television and were a staple for years on many cable channels till the FCC filed a complaint against Del Dotto in 1995, alleging that he had "made false and unsubstantiated representations" in his programs.[14]
Davidson hosted a revival ofHollywood Squares which ran from 1986 to 1989.[5] He also hosted 170 episodes of a revival ofThe $100,000 Pyramid in 1991.[5] He also appeared as a featured guest onThe Carpenters' television specialsSpace Encounters (1977) andMusic! Music! Music! (1980).[citation needed] Following his run onHollywood Squares, he was one of six people who auditioned to host the CBS daytime version ofWheel of Fortune (in the end,Bob Goen was hired).[15]
Davidson was also a successful recording artist. He recorded twelve albums in the '60s and '70s. From 1966 to 1971, he recorded for Columbia Records, where he enjoyed his greatest success. Five of his albums reached theBillboard 200 album charts, withThe Time of My Life! peaking at No. 19 in 1966.[16] His albums usually consisted of covers of recent hit singles along with some new material.[citation needed]
In 1969, his self-titled album was released. Produced byTim O'Brien, the UK release was reviewed in the 16 August issue ofNew Musical Express. The songs on the album were, "Stormy", "Little Green Apples", "Words", "I've Gotta Be Me", "Goodnight My Love", "Those Were the Days", "Didn't We", "Both Sides Now" and "Suzanne". The review was warm with the reviewer saying that he will improve if he sticks to it.[17]
As a singles artist, he placed seven records on theAdult Contemporary chart. "Everytime I Sing a Love Song", released in 1976, peaked at No. 7, his most successful single.[18]
| Year | Album | USBB [19] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Young Warm Sound of John Davidson | – | Colpix |
| 1966 | The Time of My Life! | 19 | Columbia |
| 1967 | My Best to You | 125 | |
| A Kind of Hush | 79 | ||
| 1968 | Goin' Places | 151 | |
| 1969 | My Cherie Amour | – | |
| John Davidson | 153 | ||
| My Christmas Favorites | – | ||
| 1970 | Everything is Beautiful | – | |
| 1973 | ... Well, Here I Am | – | Mercury |
| 1974 | Touch Me | – | 20th Century Records |
| 1976 | Everytime I Sing a Love Song | – |
Davidson acted in many movies, includingThe Happiest Millionaire (1967),The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968),Coffee, Tea or Me? (1973),The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979),Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders II, (1980) andEdward Scissorhands (1990).
Davidson has appeared in productions ofA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,Kismet,State Fair,Man of La Mancha,Chicago, andThe Will Rogers Follies, at the Surflight Theatre inLong Beach Island,New Jersey. He has also performed the autobiographical playFather/Son and Holy Ghost, about his relationship with his father, who was a minister.
In July 1991 Davidson appeared insummer stock with Sacramento Music Circus ofSacramento,California inThe Music Man alongsideSusan Watson,Richard Paul, Carol Swarbrick, and the Delta Music Society Quartet of Sacramento.[citation needed]
Davidson performed daily[20] in 1993–94 inBranson,Missouri at a theater bearing his name.
In May 1999, Davidson andStephanie Mills joined the cast of theChicago company ofRagtime as the Father and Sarah, respectively.[21]
In late 2011 Davidson was listed as a guest star withThe Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at thePlaza Theatre inPalm Springs, California.[22]
In June 2012 Davidson took on the role of Henry in the off-Broadway revival ofThe Fantasticks. In April 2013 he took on the role of the Wizard in the first North American tour ofWicked.[23] In 2016, Davidson played Norman Thayer inOn Golden Pond at Judson Theatre Company inPinehurst,North Carolina.[24] In June 2017, he took on the role of Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook in the North American tour ofFinding Neverland.[25]
Davidson's first marriage was to Jackie Miller. He has two children: John Davidson, Jr., who often appeared with his father on later versions ofHollywood Squares; and Jennifer (Davidson) Kane. Davidson has been married to former backup singer Rhonda Rivera since 1983; they have a daughter, Ashleigh Davidson. They live primarily inTamworth,New Hampshire.[26]
The son of two Baptist ministers, Davidson now identifies as an atheist, declaring himself "openly secular" in a video for theOpenly Secular Coalition begun by theRichard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, theSecular Coalition for America, and otherhumanist groups.[26]
Actor Dick Van Dyke is 98. Country singer Buck White of The Whites is 93.Actor-singer John Davidson is 82. Singer Ted Nugent is 75.See also:
Actor Dick Van Dyke is 68. Actor Christopher Plummer is 66.Singer John Davidson is 52. Singer Ted Nugent is 45.
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Host ofPyramid 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jon Bauman in theMatch Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983–1984) | "Square-Master" (Host) ofHollywood Squares 1986–1989 | Succeeded by Tom Bergeron in the 1998–2004 version |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |