Posted on by Matt Gilligan

10 Facts About Game Show Legend Bob Barker

Bob Barker is 95 years old, and he is still every bit the TV legend he was when he first hosted The Price is Right in 1972.

He actually started hosting his first game show all the way back in 1956, and he only retired from hosting The Price is Right in 2007. That’s 50 years!

And who could forget this classic clip featuring Barker from Happy Gilmore?

Let’s get to know the man behind the legend a little bit better with these 10 facts.

1. Early years.

Barker spent some of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. He is 1/8 Sioux.

 

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2. World War II

Barker enlisted in the Navy and served from 1942-1945, but he didn’t see combat. He said, “I was all ready to go, and when the enemy heard that I was headed for the Pacific, they surrendered.”

3. Over the airwaves.

Barker began working on the radio in college on KTTS-FM in Springfield, Missouri.

 

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4. Badass.

Barker is a black belt in karate, and he trained with none other than Chuck Norris for decades. Oh, and by the way, he did his own fight scene in Happy Gilmore.

5. Hoops.

Barker attended Drury College in Missouri on a basketball scholarship and also joined Navy’s basketball team while he served in the military.

 

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6. Taking a stand.

Barker hosted the Miss USA/Universe pageants from 1966 to 1988 but stepped down when the people who ran the competitions refused to stop giving out fur coats as prizes.

7. Come on down!

CBS renamed Stage 33 “Bob Barker Studio” after he hosted his 5,000th episode of The Price is Right in 1998.

 

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8. Big break.

Barker considers the show Truth or Consequences his big break. He hosted the show from 1956 until 1974.

9. Animal lover.

Barker purchased 460 acres of land in California that will be used as a sanctuary for donkeys.

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Bob Barker gave this incredible speech when ADI first introduced the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act to Congress in 2011. Nothing has changed in how Bob Barker describes the suffering of circus animals, but a lot has changed in the world. HERE ARE SIX REASONS WHY THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR THE TRAVELING EXOTIC ANIMAL AND PUBLIC SAFETY PROTECTION ACT (TEAPSPA; HR2863) NOW. Since 2011: 1. The number of national animal circus bans has more than doubled to 45 – including US neighbor Mexico. 2. Two states, New Jersey and Hawaii, have passed wild animal bans, and other states are considering bans. There are now 92 local circus prohibitions in 32 states including cities such as New York and San Francisco. 3. The number of animal circuses has fallen and the largest, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus – which invested heavily to lobby against bans – closed due to declining audiences, as people have turned away from animal acts. 4. 20 animal protection groups are backing TEAPSPA. 5. There is more evidence of circus suffering and more public awareness than ever before. 6. TEAPA has been refined after discussions with legislators to strengthen the public safety aspects – hence it is now TEAPSPA. So now it’s up to YOU. Make that call, send that email, set up the meeting with your representative – get them to sponsor the bill. Then do it again. Don’t stop until this bill is passed. Start here – find your representatives and send an email NOW. TEAPSPA IS COMING. BE PART OF THE CHANGE. BE PART OF THE CAMPAIGN. Find out more: bit.ly/SupportTEAPSPA Contact us to get involved – usa@ad-international.org #FederalCircusBill #StopCircusSuffering #TEAPSPA #SupportTEAPSPA #bobbarker

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10. Love story.

Barker first went on a date with his wife Dorothy Jo when he was 15 years old. The two attended an Ella Fitzgerald concert (which is awesome). They were married from 1945 until her death in 1981, when she was 57. Bob Barker said he “never had any inclination to remarry.”

What a guy!

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