Chuck Woolery | |
|---|---|
 Woolery in 2004 | |
| Born | Charles Herbert Woolery (1941-03-16)March 16, 1941 Ashland, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 2024(2024-11-23) (aged 83) Horseshoe Bay, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1963–2024 |
| Notable credits |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | David Nelson (former-father-in-law) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Avant-Garde |
Musical artist | |
Charles Herbert Woolery (March 16, 1941 – November 23, 2024) was an American television host, actor, and musician. He had long-running tenures hosting several game shows. Woolery was the original host of the original daytimeWheel of Fortune from 1975 until 1981, when he was replaced byPat Sajak. After leavingWheel of Fortune, Woolery hosted a number of other game shows includingLove Connection (1983–1994),Scrabble (1984–1990, 1993),Greed (1999–2000), andLingo (2002–2007). Woolery's musical career includes several advertisingjingles, a top-40 pop hit with thepsychedelic pop duoThe Avant-Garde, and a number ofcountry music releases. In the 2010s, Woolery also hosted a political podcasting series.
Charles Herbert Woolery was born inAshland, Kentucky, on March 16, 1941, the son of Katherine, a homemaker, and Dan Woolery, who owned a fountain supplies company.[1][2][3]
After high school, Woolery served two years in theU.S. Navy, aboard theUSSEnterprise (CVN-65).[4][5] In 1963, Woolery worked as a wine consultant for Wasserstrom Wine and Import Company inColumbus, Ohio.[6]
In the early 1960s, Woolery sang and played the double bass with a folk song trio called The Bordermen. He also sang in a duo calledThe Avant-Garde who were in thepsychedelic pop genre. The other half of the duo was Bubba Fowler. They signed toColumbia Records and had aTop 40 hit with "Naturally Stoned" in 1968, bringing the duoone-hit wonder status.[7] It reached #30 in Canada, October 21, 1968.[8]
In the late 1970s, Woolery returned to his singing career. Woolery charted onHot Country Songs with "Painted Lady" and "The Greatest Love Affair".[9] Between 1977 and 1980, Woolery recorded forWarner Bros. Records andEpic Records as a solo artist, with two low-charting singles onHot Country Songs.[10] Woolery also co-wrote "The Joys of Being a Woman" onTammy Wynette's 1971 albumWe Sure Can Love Each Other.[11]
As an actor, Woolery appeared withStephen Boyd,Rosey Grier, andCheryl Ladd in the mid-1970s filmThe Treasure of Jamaica Reef.[12]
Woolery performed as Mr. Dingle on the children's television seriesNew Zoo Revue in the early 1970s. During that time, he made his first game show appearance on an episode ofTattletales in 1974, alongside then-wifeJo Ann Pflug. Starting as a singer, Woolery appeared on an episode ofYour Hit Parade. On January 6, 1975, he began hostingWheel of Fortune at the suggestion of creatorMerv Griffin, who had seen Woolery sing onThe Tonight Show.[13] Woolery hosted the show for six years, and in 1978 was nominated for aDaytime Emmy Award forOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Game or Audience Participation Show. In 1981, he was involved in a salary dispute with the program's producers; he said in a 2007 interview that he demanded a raise from $65,000 a year to about $500,000 a year because the program was drawing a 44viewership share at the time, and other hosts (such asRichard Dawson andBob Barker) were making that much. Griffin offered Woolery $400,000 a year, andNBC offered to pay the additional $100,000, but after Griffin threatened to move the program toCBS, NBC withdrew the offer. Woolery's contract was not renewed and his final episode aired on December 25, 1981.[14]Pat Sajak replaced him.[13]
Woolery hostedLove Connection (1983–1994),The Big Spin (1985),Scrabble (1984–1990, 1993),Home & Family (1996–1998, co-host),The Dating Game (1997–1999),Greed (1999–2000),TV Land Ultimate Fan Search (1999–2000), andLingo (2002–2007). In addition, he was the subject of a short-lived reality television,Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned (originally titledChuck Woolery: Behind the Lingo) in 2003.[15] He also hosted his own talk show,The Chuck Woolery Show, which lasted for only a few months in 1991. He hostedThe Price Is Right Live! atHarrah's Entertainment casinos, and appeared in the live stage show "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at theWestgate Las Vegas until April 2008.[16]
On April 21, 2023, it was announced that Woolery would be featured in an upcoming four-episode documentary byABC News titledThe Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America over the last eight decades. The four-part documentary premiered on May 10, 2023.[17] Woolery later hosted'80s Quiz Show, a game show based on trends and norms of the 1980s, which streamed onFox Nation on June 7, 2024.[18]
From 2012 to 2014, Woolery hosted a nationally syndicated radio commentary show,Save Us Chuck Woolery, which grew out of hisYouTube videos. In 2014, the show became a long-formatpodcast, and was retitledBlunt Force Truth. However, before his death the show could still be heard on about 60 radio stations across the country.[19] With co-host Mark Young, Woolery expanded on his conservative political ideals and current events, often inviting guest experts to join the conversation.[20]
Woolery spoke in favor ofAmerican conservatism. He was an active supporter of theRepublican Party, and had mainly donated to Republican and conservative causes.[21][22] He was a gun rights activist.[23][24]
Woolery was accused ofantisemitism after a series oftweets in May 2017, including this message: "Believe it or not.Karl Marx andVladimir Lenin were both Jewish. I was shocked to find, most of the originalSoviet Communists were Jewish."[25] The claim that communism is Jewish in origin forms the core of theantisemitic trope calledJudeo-Bolshevism. The tweet led to accusations of antisemitism against Woolery.[26] In response to the criticism, Woolery tweeted: "Amazing to me, I point out that Marx and Lenin were Jewish, Fact of history, and now I'm being called anti-Semitic? Why do people do this?"[26]
On July 12, 2020, Woolery tweeted that theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctors, the media, and theDemocratic Party were lying about theCOVID-19 pandemic. PresidentDonald Trump retweeted Woolery's claims.[27][28] The following day, Woolery tweeted that his son had tested positive for the virus and that the "COVID-19 pandemic is real". His Twitter account was later made private before later being made public again.[29][30]
Woolery was aChristian who volunteered in ministry.[31] He was married five times and was the father of five children. Woolery and his first wife, Margaret Hays, had two children together, Katherine and Chad. Chad was killed in a motorcycle accident in January 1986.[32][33] In 1972, he married actressJo Ann Pflug[33] and had a daughter, Melissa. They divorced in 1980.[33] With third wife Teri Nelson, who is the adopted daughter of actorDavid Nelson and granddaughter ofOzzie and Harriet Nelson, he had two sons, Michael and Sean.[33][34] In 2006, he married Kim Barnes.[33] At the time of his death, it was reported that he was married to a woman named Kristen.[35]
In Woolery's later years, he lived inHorseshoe Bay, Texas, and died at home on November 23, 2024, at the age of 83.[13][36][37]
Source:[38][additional citation(s) needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | New Zoo Revue | Mr. Dingle | |
| 1973 | Love, American Style | Mr. Thompson | 1 episode, segment: "Love and the Cozy Comrades" |
| 1973 | ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons | Superman | For full preview specialSneak Peek |
| 1974 | Sonic Boom | Pilot Rogers | Short film |
| 1975 | The Treasure of Jamaica Reef | Detective | a.k.a.Evil in the Deep |
| 1978 | A Guide for the Married Woman | Tennis Pro | Television film |
| 1979 | $weepstake$ | Tyler | Episode 4 |
| 1982 | Romance Theatre | "Marisol" Parts 1–5 | |
| 1982 | Six Pack | TV Commentator #2 | |
| 1989 | 227 | Himself | Episode: "A Date to Remember" |
| 1989 | Cold Feet | Himself | Love Connection host on TV |
| 1997 | Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees | Chuck | Cameo as the nightclub owner |
| 2004 | Scrubs | Himself | Season 4 Episode 6 |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1981 | Wheel of Fortune | Replaced byPat Sajak |
| 1983–1994 | Love Connection | Host |
| 1984–1990, 1993 | Scrabble | Host |
| 1991 | The Chuck Woolery Show | 65 episodes |
| 1996 | Home & Family | Co-host withCristina Ferrare |
| 1997–1999 | The Dating Game | Host |
| 1999–2000 | Greed | Host, 44 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | TV Land Ultimate Fan Search | |
| 1999 | Biography | Episode:Bob Barker: Master of Ceremonies |
| 2002–2007 | Lingo | succeeded byBill Engvall in 2011 |
| 2008 | Think Like a Cat | Host |
| 2012–2014 | Save Us Chuck Woolery (radio show) | Host |
| 2014–2024 | Blunt Force Truth (podcast) | Co-host with Mark Young |
| 2023 | The Game Show Show | Game show documentary |
| 2024 | '80s Quiz Show | Host[18] |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Country Songs [10] | |||||||||
| 1977 | "Painted Lady" | 78 | |||||||
| "Take 'Er Down, Boys"[39] | — | ||||||||
| 1980 | "The Greatest Love Affair" | 94 | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byas host of the 1974 pilot ofWheel of Fortune | Host ofWheel of Fortune (daytime) January 6, 1975 – December 25, 1981 | Succeeded by |
| New show | Host ofLove Connection 1983–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Host ofScrabble 1984–1993 | Succeeded by | |
| Host ofThe Big Spin 1985 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Host ofLingo 2002–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Hosts | |
|---|---|
| International versions | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
