Longtime American
game show host of the
popular The Price Is Right. Loved by millions and has given away millions in
prizes in a long
career.
Barker (DOB: 12/12/1923, Darrington, Washington) started his television career as the host of Truth or Consequences in 1956. He ended up hosting the show for 18 years.
Those 18 years seem like a short amount of time compared to the nearly 30 years he has spent as the center of The Price is Right. Since 1972, he has entertained millions with his humor and easygoing on-air personality.
Barker also hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from the 60's into the late '80s. He resigned from both in 1988, due to a disagreement with producers over the use of furs.
Barker has been one of the more vocal animal activists, and founded the DJ&T Foundation in 1995. This foundation helps to control the pet population, which is one of Barker's main causes (He always says to "have your pets spayed or neutered" on TPIR).
In his long career, Barker's won 14 Daytime Emmy Awards (11 as a host; 2 as executive producer of TPIR; and a lifetime achievement award in 1999.)
In 1994, Barker was at the center of some controversy when Dian Parkinson (one of "Barker's Beauties", the models who help display the prizes) sued him for sexual harrassment (the charges were later dropped).
Barker made a cameo appearance in the 1996 Adam Sandler film "Happy Gilmore", getting into a fistfight with Happy on a golf course, leading Happy to proclaim "The price is wrong, bitch!"