Everything about Tom Bergeron totally explained
Tom Bergeron (born
May 6,
1955 in
Haverhill, Massachusetts) is an
Emmy Award-nominated
American television personality and
game show host, best known to the public as the host of
America's Funniest Home Videos (2001 - Present) and
Hollywood Squares (1998 - 2004). He also is currently the host for the
ABC reality series
Dancing with the Stars (2005 - present), and a fill-in host for
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He is a Daytime
Emmy winner.
Biography
Career
Bergeron's first job in broadcasting was as a
disc jockey at local radio station
WHAV, in his home town. He was an extremely popular radio DJ in the
Seacoast area of
New Hampshire in the early 1980s on
Portsmouth's WHEB, where he played comedy records along with music and offbeat interviews. His professional voice and warm personality landed him additional TV and radio auditions.
One of his first jobs on television was as host of a local game show,
Granite State Challenge, on New Hampshire Public Television (produced at NHPTV flagship station
WENH-TV). He moved to the Boston market in February 1982, joining
WBZ-TV as a general on-air personality. His early roles at the station included being a contributor on
Evening Magazine, and landing the hosting spot on
Lottery Live, the nightly drawings of the Massachusetts State Lottery games. By January 1987, while still working in these roles, Bergeron added
People Are Talking to his duties. He replaced former hosts
Nancy Merrill and
Buzz Luttrell on the early afternoon talk show, and gained even more popularity with this role. By the early 1990s Bergeron was seen as a solid figure in Boston television, and WBZ continued to capitalize on his talents by featuring him on
WBZ Radio. It was there he'd an early-morning radio show called
The Tom Bergeron Show. When
People Are Talking ended a successful 13-year run in June 1993, Bergeron remained on WBZ-TV as commentator and lifestyle reporter for the station's expanded hour-long noon newscast.
In June 1994, Bergeron left WBZ when he was hired by the new
FX cable network to co-host a morning talk show for them, called
Breakfast Time. Hosting with
Laurie Hibberd, the show became quite successful on the upstart cable network, prompting the
Fox Broadcasting Company to pick it up two years later. At the time, the cable system in his hometown of Haverhill didn't carry FX, leading to a long-running and ultimately failed public campaign to get them to pick up the channel or at the very least to locally
syndicate the program. In September 1996 it became
Fox After Breakfast, since it aired later in the morning than the other network's morning programs. This show ran for one year on Fox; eventually it became
The Vicki Lawrence Show after a number of cast changes. Bergeron later was signed to a contract with
ABC News as guest host to
Good Morning America. After
Charles Gibson left the show, Bergeron was seriously considered as a permanent replacement, but that job went to
Kevin Newman.
Beginning in 1998, one of his best-known jobs was the host of
Hollywood Squares. He was nominated for 5
Emmys and in
2000, he won his first and only Emmy. After
Squares ended its six-year-run in 2004, he continued hosting
America's Funniest Home Videos, which he started hosting in 2001. In later years, Bergeron appeared twice on as an alien trader named D'Marr and as a Coridan Ambassador. He also appeared in an episode of
The Nanny in 1998. In 2005, he began hosting the
ABC reality series
Dancing with the Stars, for
ABC, with ex-reporter
Lisa Canning before
Samantha Harris. The show proved to be a hit, airing in over 90 countries.
His sharp sense of humour and good banter with the judges of
Dancing with the Stars have helped to make a big star again, as well as his banter with the cast members.
Bergeron is married and has two daughters. He lives in Los Angeles.
In 2005, Bergeron was a co-host on the
Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, and in 2006 he was elected national vice president of the association.
Other Facts
- Bergeron appeared on an episode of the new I've Got A Secret on Game Show Network on December 30, 2006. His "secret" was that he used to perform as a pantomime on various street corners. He stated that he started when he was 20 years old and performed in theatres, on street corners, etc. He failed to stump the panel.
- Bergeron is the 2007 March of Dimes WalkAmerica
spokesperson.
- Bergeron is one of the first inductees into the Massachusetts Broadcasters' Hall Of Fame, which was created in 2007.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tom Bergeron'.
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