Tony Barber | |
|---|---|
 Barber in 2011 | |
| Born | Anthony Ferraro Louis Barber 28 March 1940 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1961−present |
| Known for | Host of local versions of Great Temptation , Sale of the Century and Wheel of Fortune |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Kelly, Jacqueline [1] |
Anthony Ferraro Louis Barber OAM (born 28 March 1940) is a British Australian Gold Logie award-winning television game show host, radio announcer, singer and media personality, who has been active in the industry since the early 1960s. [2]
Barber was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England in March 1940. He has said that he "owes much of his enthusiastic and driving personality to a loving Irish grandma and a whole street full of aunts who kept the spirits high during the dark years of World War II." He moved with his family to Australia in 1947 and was educated by the Sisters of Mercy and the Irish Christian Brothers.
He attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, graduating in 1960.
In his own words:
"The Sisters of so-called Mercy taught me to sing & dance, the brothers taught me to bob & weave. The navy taught me to play rugby." [3] [4]
Barber started his media career in 1961, as a cadet announcer at radio station 6GE in Geraldton, Western Australia.
By the end of 1962, Barber was a leading radio announcer in Perth, as well as the star of a weekly floor show at the Charles Hotel and another twice-weekly event at the Lido Coral Room where he performed impressions of Johnny Mathis and Paul Anka. Before leaving Western Australia for New South Wales he also appeared in a number of plays with the Scarborough players.
After moving to Sydney, Barber appeared at numerous hotel talent quests, a regular role as resident compere and vocalist at the Spellsons nitery in Pitt Street. This was in addition to holding down a regular job as an advertising executive, where at one point he cast himself as the "Cambridge Whistler", a central character in a 1960s cigarette commercial which brought him national recognition.
It was at this point that the then head of the Seven Network, Bruce Gyngell, spotted Barber and was understood to have liked what he saw and suggested that he host a Reg Grundy show. [5]
While Barber is more noted for his role as host of Sale of the Century , his origins in television date back to the early 1970s when he hosted the then popular Seven Network game show The $25,000 Great Temptation. [6] The show was successful enough for the network that both daytime and prime time editions of the show were screened.
The show only faltered when in 1974, Seven decided to move the show from its 7:00 pm timeslot to the later 8:30 pm timeslot in an effort to attract viewers away from the then popular series Number 96 screening on the 0-10 Networks. Number 96 won the ratings battle and The $25,000 Great Temptation aired its last show in 1975. Barber then hosted the Australian version of Family Feud on the Nine Network from 1977 until 1979.[ citation needed ]
In 1980, the Grundy Organization, on the advice of its founder and producer, Reg Grundy, decided to revive the $25,000 Great Temptation format using the original international title, Sale of the Century . Screened nationally on the Nine Network, Barber hosted the show from 1980–91, supported by a roster of co-hosts during his time including Victoria Nicolls (1980–82), Delvene Delaney (1982–85) and Alyce Platt (1986–91). Barber decided to leave the show in 1991 after being offered only a 12-month contract renewal period instead of his usual three-year deal; Platt left at the same time, he was replaced by Glenn Ridge as host, with co-host Jo Bailey.
Barber went on to host the short-lived Australian version of Jeopardy! on Network Ten in 1993. It has been said that its failure was partly due to placing it in the 6:00 pm timeslot against high-rating news bulletins of the day. Barber later stated in an interview that Jeopardy! was his favourite of all the game shows he hosted in his career. After Jeopardy, Barber succeeded John Burgess as host of Wheel of Fortune on the Seven Network in July 1996 following the show's relocation from Adelaide to Sydney as part of an attempted revamp. Also part of the revamp, in an attempt to win viewers back, the theme music that had been introduced the previous year was reinstated, the new set underwent minor changes and the former prize shop was reincarnated to an extent –contestants upon solving a puzzle were offered three prizes and one had to be selected. By the end of 1996, these changes together with the loss of the familiar Burgess as host resulted in poor viewing figures, and Barber decided to leave the show. Barber appeared at the beginning of the 1997 series premiere to hand the show over to Rob Elliott. During his time on TV, Barber estimates that he has hosted over 8,500 individual episodes of successful Grundy games. [7]
He hosted a small competition on the Australian Cable TV network Foxtel seven nights a week called TV1's Cash Trivia Challenge. On 14 March 2007, he returned to his roots, making an appearance as guest host on Temptation , alongside his former co-host Alyce Platt, during the Battle of the Network Shows series where the original hosts, Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon appeared as contestants.
In August 2013, Barber was announced as a contestant on the upcoming series of Dancing with the Stars . [8] He then returned to Family Feud as a contestant on 21 November 2016 as part of All Star Family Feud hosted by Grant Denyer with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Glenn Ridge, and John Burgess as team members. His team had won the game and he ended the episode with his signature sign-off catchphrase: "Keep smiling, and bye for now." [9]
In June 1991 Barber received the Medal of the Order of Australia award "In recognition of service to the entertainment industry." [10]
In 1973, Barber won the TV Week Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.[ citation needed ]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | ||
| Temptation |
| 54 |
| If You Feel Like Singing |
| - |
| Country Barber |
| 72 |
| Country Barber |
| 72 |
| I Believe |
| 31 |
| You'll Never Walk Alone |
| 96 |
| Love Changes Everything |
| 49 |
| You Light Up My Life |
| 39 |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Best of Tony Barber |
|
| Title | Year | Role |
| Homicide | 1967 | Dick Boyd - Gavin Jones |
| Temptation (TV series) | 1970 | as Himself - Host |
| The Great Temptation (TV series) | 1971 | as Himself - Host |
| Buster Fiddess Memorial Concert (TV special) | 1972 | as Himself - Host |
| ALP: It's Time (video) | 1972 | as Himself |
| The 13th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (TV special) | 1973 | as Himself - Gold Logie Winner |
| Penthouse Club (TV series) | 1972-1975 | as Himself - Host - Himself |
| Name That Tune (TV series) | 1975 | as Himself |
| Family Feud (TV series) | 1977-1980 | as Himself - Host |
| Wheel of Fortune (TV series) | 1981 | as Himself - Host |
| The 24th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (TV Special) | 1982 | as Himself |
| The Don Lane Show (TV series) | 1983 | as Himself |
| Sale of the Century (TV series) | 1980-1986 | As Self - Host |
| Jeopardy! (TV series) | 1992 | as Self - Host |
| The Late Show (TV series) | 1993 | as Himself |
| Wedlocked (TV series) | 1994 | Tony Johnson |
| The Mick Molloy Show (TV series) | 1999 | as Himself |
| Fox Studio's Australia: The Grand Opening(TV special) | 1999 | as Himself |
| Pizza (TV series) | 2001 | Rupert Packer |
| Rove Live (TV series) | 2001 | as Himself |
| Breakaway (TV series) | 2003 | as Himself - Host |
| Graham Kennedy: Farewell to the King (TV movie) | 2005 | as Himself |
| Good Morning Australia (TV series) | 2005 | Self - Presenter -Self, Guest |
| Temptation (TV series) | 2007 | Self - Host |
| Dancing with the Stars (TV series) | 2013 | Self - as Contestant |
| All Star Family Feud (TV series) | 2016 | as Himself - Contestant |
| Today | 2020 | as Himself - Guest |
| The Fame Game: mWhat Happens When the Applause Happens (TV special) | 2022 | as Himself |
Press Your Luck is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, special items, or the show's mascot, a cartoon creature known as the Whammy. Landing on a Whammy eliminates any cash and prizes accumulated while also displaying a short comedic animation. Its format is a revival of an earlier Carruthers production, Second Chance, which was hosted by Jim Peck and aired on ABC in 1977. The original version of Press Your Luck aired on CBS between 1983 and 1986. This version featured Peter Tomarken as host, Rod Roddy as announcer, and Carruthers as both director and voice of the Whammy. The original incarnation of the show gained significant media attention in 1984 for contestant Michael Larson, who won over $100,000 after memorizing the original pattern of the game board.
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
Pyramid is an American game show franchise that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The show was developed by Bob Stewart. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series. Most later series featured a full title format matching the original series, with the title reflecting an increasing top prize. The game features two contestants, each paired with a celebrity. In the game, the contestants and celebrities attempt to identify words or phrases through clues given by their teammates. The title refers to the show's pyramid-shaped gameboard, featuring six categories arranged in a triangular fashion. The various Pyramid series have won a total of nine Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Game Show, second only to Jeopardy!, which has won 13.
Sale of the Century is an American television game show that originally debuted on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being the short-lived game shows Letters to Laugh-In and Name Droppers. The series aired until July 13, 1973, and a weekly syndicated series began that fall and ran for one season.
Peter Philip Smith OAM is a retired Australian radio announcer and television voice-over artist. He is primarily known for his work with GTV-9 Melbourne as their chief staff announcer, including being the announcer on the nationally screened quiz show Sale of the Century for 21 years.
Blankety Blanks is an Australian game show based on the American game show Match Game. It was hosted by Graham Kennedy on the 0-10 Network from 1977–1978.
The 15th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Friday 16 February 1973 at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Bert Newton was the Master of Ceremonies. American film star Glenn Ford and television actors Michael Cole, Gail Fisher and Loretta Swit were in attendance as guest presenters. The programme is remembered for a drunken, incoherent acceptance speech from Cole which concluded with a swear word.
Grant Craig Denyer is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. He previously hosted Family Feud and Australia's Got Talent. Currently, he hosts Network 10's main game show Deal or No Deal.
Bert's Family Feud was an Australian game show remake based on the American show of the same name. The series was produced by Grundy Television in conjunction with FremantleMedia. It was broadcast on the Nine Network and hosted by Bert Newton. The title refers to host Bert Newton as the show intended to feature celebrities and their families as contestants.
Alyce Mary A. Platt is an Australian actress and singer.
Wheel of Fortune is an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television until 2006, and CBS Studios International in 2008. The program aired on the Seven Network from 1981 to 2004 and January to July 2006, aired at 5:00pm from 1981 to 1989 and from 2004 to 2006 and at 5:30pm from 1989 to 2003, and is mostly based on the same general format as the original American version of the program.
The Price Is Right is an Australian television game show that has been produced in a number of different formats, based on the American concept of the same title. The most recent of these formats began airing on 7 May 2012 on Seven Network. Larry Emdur, who hosted the program on two occasions prior to 2012, was the presenter for the 2012 revival.
Sale of the Century is an Australian prime time game show that aired on the Nine Network from 14 July 1980 to 29 November 2001. It is based on both Great Temptation that aired from 1970 to 1974 and on the original Sale that first aired in the United States from 1969 to 1973. The Australian format of Sale has since been used internationally, including in a revived US version that aired from 1983 to 1989.
Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, in which contestants are presented with trivia clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of a question. The show has experienced a long life in several incarnations over the course of nearly a half-century, spending more than 12 years as a daytime network program and having currently run in syndication for 39 seasons. It has also gained a worldwide following with a multitude of international adaptations.
Family Feud is an Australian game show based on the American show of the same name. It aired on Network Ten from 14 July 2014 until 22 July 2018 and in August 2020 for a special 10-episode series. The show was hosted by Grant Denyer. This was the fourth Australian version of the format, the previous incarnation being Bert's Family Feud hosted by Bert Newton in 2006. Ten became the third network to adapt the format. From 2016, Ten also screened a celebrity edition titled All Star Family Feud. The show was filmed at Global Television Studios in Southbank, Melbourne from 2014 to 2017 and at Network Ten Studios in Pyrmont, Sydney in 2018 & 2020.
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show has aired continuously since January 1975. It features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those in hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel. The current version of the series, which airs in nightly syndication, premiered on September 19, 1983.
Second Chance is an American game show that ran from March 7 to July 15, 1977, on ABC. Jim Peck hosted, with Jay Stewart and Jack Clark serving as announcers. The show was a production of the Carruthers Company in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Great Temptation was an Australian game show, produced by Reg Grundy Productions Pty. Ltd., that aired on the Seven Network from 1970 until 1974. It was hosted by Tony Barber and co-hosted by Barbara Rogers.
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