Bob Goen | |
|---|---|
 Goen hostingFamily Feud Live at the Pacific National Exhibition inVancouver,British Columbia in 2012 | |
| Born | Robert Kuehl Goen (1954-12-01)December 1, 1954 (age 70) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Game show host, television personality |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Robert Kuehl Goen (born December 1, 1954) is an Americangame show emcee andtelevision personality, best known for his work onEntertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004 and as the fourth and final host of the daytimeWheel of Fortune from 1989 to 1991.
Goen was born inLong Beach, California, but was raised in theLos Angeles suburb ofLakewood. In a 2009 interview at the Game Show Awards Red Carpet, he stated when he was 5, he always dreamed of becoming a game show host, with the encouragement ofBob Barker,Bill Cullen,Bob Eubanks,Tom Kennedy,Geoff Edwards,Wink Martindale,Monty Hall, among many others, and his dream came true as a young adult. Goen graduated fromLakewood High School in 1972, and fromSan Diego State University in 1976 with a degree in telecommunications and film. In 1977, he used his college radio experience to land a part-time job atKFOX radio in his native Long Beach, which led to his first full-time job as a disc jockey/producer forKPRO in Riverside, where he was promoted to work as a director. In 1981, he came to television, becoming a sports anchor atKESQ-TV, theABC affiliate inPalm Springs.
In the early 1980s he served asESPN's desert-area correspondent. After almost four years in that role, he came to Hollywood, where he has hosted several game shows, includingPerfect Match (syndicated, 1986),Home Shopping Game with co-hostBob Circosta (syndicated, 1987),Blackout (CBS, 1988),The Hollywood Game (CBS, 1992),Born Lucky (Lifetime Television, 1992) andThat's the Question (GSN, 2006–2007), which was based on a format from theNetherlands. His greatest success in this area came as the final host of the daytime network version ofWheel of Fortune (CBS, 1989–1991;NBC, 1991) and is currently the host ofWheel of Fortune Live!.[1]
He had a small role in the opening of the 1988 series premiere episode ofFreddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Series, "No More Mr. Nice Guy", as a nightly news anchorman and on-scene reporter at the Springwood Municipal Courthouse for the pre-trial hearing of accused mass-murderer Fred Krueger.
He served as host for the "Name That Tune" video game released for thePhilips CD-i in 1993.[2]
He also hosted severalMiss Universe pageants in1994 (Manila, Philippines),1995 (Windhoek, Namibia), and1996 (Las Vegas, Nevada).
Goen also hosts the annualAKC National Championship, broadcast onAnimal Planet[3] and other channels owned byDiscovery Communications.
Goen was co-host ofGSN Radio withMarianne Curan, his wife. The show debuted on August 18, 2008, and aired its last episode on November 13, 2009. He and Curan moved toCincinnati, Ohio in 2012 to work atWarm 98.[4]
Goen has hosted live traveling versions ofFamily Feud andThe Price Is Right.[5] In 2012, he hosted The Price is Right LIVE in Branson, MO.[6]
Goen has hosted a locally produced version ofLet's Ask America calledLet's Ask Cincinnati for Scripps'WCPO-TV inCincinnati, Ohio featuring local Cincinnati celebrities and personalities playing for local charities in 2014.[7]
On April 12, 1993, he joinedEntertainment Tonight as a substitute anchor and a reporter. WhenJohn Tesh leftET on May 30, 1996, to pursue his music career, Goen was promoted to nightly anchor alongsideMary Hart.
Between 1994 and 1996, he hosted the worldwide telecasts ofMiss Universe,Miss USA andMiss Teen USA Pageants, all for CBS, replacingDick Clark.
AsET host, he made guest appearances on two separate movies in 1999. On September 11, 2001, he covered the attacks on theWorld Trade Center. In 2003, he interviewedSuzanne Somers about the death of actorJohn Ritter.
In April 2005, Goen voiced a cartoon version of himself on an episodeThe Fairly OddParents. Goen, playing a character named Bob Glimmer, appeared withMary Hart (whose character was named "Fairy Hart") as anchors of a show namedFairytainment Tonight. Goen also appeared as an interviewee on a 1997 episode of the cartoon mock-talk showSpace Ghost Coast to Coast.[8]
In August 2004, after 11 years of serving asET anchor, he left to spend more time with his new wife and to pursue other projects.Mark Steines succeeded him.[9]
Goen was married to Sabrina in 1988, and in 1994, had a son, Max. Max is the host of "The GoenLive Podcast." The couple divorced in 1997.[10] In 2004, he married fellow television personalityMarianne Curan.[11]
In his spare time, Goen does annual charity work for his golfing tournament, The Bob Goen Lexus Invitational, which benefits theMake-A-Wish Foundation.[12]
| Preceded by Rolf Benirschke (1989) | Host of daytimeWheel of Fortune July 17, 1989– September 20, 1991 | Succeeded by Show canceled |
| Preceded by | Co-Host ofEntertainment Tonight (withMary Hart) 1993–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Universe host 1994–1996 | Succeeded by |
