- Born
- Died
- Birth nameErnest Earle Anderson
- Ernie Anderson was born Ernest Earle Anderson on November 12, 1923 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He began working in radio at Burlington, Vermont's WSKI-AM in 1946. He met Tim Conway at WHK-AM in Cleveland and began writing with him. They were hired by Cleveland's WJW-TV in 1961 where they created "Ernie's Place", a daytime show of movies and comedy sketches. He created the beatnik character Ghoulardi for himself, wearing a lab coat, fright wig, fake goatee beard and mustache and became popular introducing WJW-TV's Friday night horror movie show Shock Theater (1963). Rose Marie, best known as Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), recommended him to Steve Allen who recruited him for his own show.
Ernie had many run-ins with his management in Cleveland and moved to California full time in 1966. He appeared in two episodes of Conway's television series Rango (1967) and then formed a comedy act with his old friend. He was hired as "the voice of ABC" in the late 1970s where he continued to work well into the 1980s. He also did the voiceover for the previews of current episodes during the first three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Ernie Anderson died at age 73 of cancer in Los Angeles, California on February 6, 1997.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous
- SpousesBonnie Skolnick(1996 - February 6, 1997) (his death)Edwina Gough(May 4, 1968 - 1995) (4 children)Marguerite Hemmer(1947 - 1966) (5 children)
- ChildrenKathryn AndersonStephen Anderson
- RelativesPearl Minnie Anderson(Grandchild)Austin Anderson(Grandchild)Grace Anderson(Grandchild)Liam Van Joosten(Grandchild)Dan Anderson(Grandchild)
- During a video interview segment that ran on the local ABC affiliate in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, he displayed a photo of his wife and kids that sat on his desk. Everyone in the photo was wearing fake glasses and fake noses as a gag.
- Fired from his first radio job at WSKI-AM in Burlington, Vermont. He was fired for making fun of one of the stations sponsors who was in a barbershop quartet.
- Was the number one disc jockey at a Providence, Rhode Island station, Ernie was fired from his second job for riding his motorcycle through the halls.
- Drew Carey has worn Ghoulardi T-shirts on the set of The Drew Carey Show (1995) and dedicated an episode in his memory.
- Liked to needle Cleveland TV personalities like Dorothy Fuldheim and Mike Douglas. On Shock Theater (1963), Ernie made a running gag out of the Cleveland suburb of Parma.
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