David Poltorak | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 or 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Occupations | Quiz show question writer Scriptwriter Quiz show champion Former taxi driver |
| Known for | winning Sale of the Century (1986) scriptwriter of Emoh Ruo (1985) The Chase Australia (2024–present) |
David Poltorak (born 1 January 1954) [1] is an Australian television game show contestant and question writer. He became the grand champion of Sale of the Century in 1986, setting a world record for winnings on a television game show at the time. [2] He later worked as a question writer for The Oz Game , [3] Sale of the Century, [4] [5] The Einstein Factor , [6] Temptation , [6] Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? [1] [6] [7] and Millionaire Hot Seat . Nicknamed The Professor, he has been featured as a chaser on The Chase Australia since 2024. [8] [9]
Poltorak was a part-time taxi driver before he applied for Sale of the Century in 1986 at 31 years of age. [1] [2] He had a taxi license, which he gained in 1976, but he eventually only spent three months on the road before realising driving was not for him. [4] He has been interested in game shows since he was a child, watching BP Pick-a-Box as a 10-year-old. [1] He decided to enter Coles' $6,000 Question at 16, with World War I as his subject as there was a magazine series on it for sale, at the time. [4] He also co-wrote the 1985 film Emoh Ruo . [5]
Poltorak appeared on eight episodes of the Australian version of Sale of the Century in 1986, winning a grand total of A$376,200, including $244,000 in cash and $132,200 in prizes. [2] [1] [5] His total winnings were a world record for a television game show at the time, surpassing the previous record held by Michael Larson on Press Your Luck in 1984. [5]
Poltorak also set three records for Sale of the Century in Australia:
In 1989, Poltorak was employed as the head question writer and adjudicator for the third season of the ABC's then-6 pm game show The Oz Game . [3] In 1991, Poltorak replaced Fran Powell as the question writer and adjudicator for Sale of the Century, [4] after an offer from the game show's production company, Grundy Television. [5] He remained in this role until the show's cancellation in 2001. He then joined the question writing team for Temptation , [6] The Einstein Factor , [6] Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in Australia, [1] [6] [7] and later for its spin-off Millionaire Hot Seat . [8]
In October 2023, it was reported that Poltorak will debut as a new chaser nicknamed "The Professor" on The Chase Australia in 2024. [8] Poltorak previously appeared as a contestant in the first series of Beat the Chasers Australia in 2020. [8] His Chaser debut on The Chase Australia aired on 8 April 2024. [9]