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Biography

Peter Tomarken

Overview

  • Born
    December 7, 1942 · Olean, New York, USA
  • Died
    March 13, 2006 · Santa Monica, California, USA (airplane crash)
  • Birth name
    Peter David Tomarken
  • Height
    5′ 8″ (1.73 m)

Biography

  • Peter Tomarken was born on December 7, 1942 in Olean, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Heaven Can Wait (1978), The Secret Empire (1979) and Haunted (1998). He was married to Kathleen Abigail Eastman and Dana Jones. He died on March 13, 2006 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Family

  • Spouses
      Kathleen Abigail Eastman(1994 - March 13, 2006) (his death)
      Dana Jones(August 23, 1963 - 1993) (divorced, 3 children)

Trademarks

  • The catchphrase - "Big Bucks, No Whammies!"
  • His silly persona

Trivia

  • He and his wife were killed when the small plane he was piloting crashed into Santa Monica Bay. They were en route to San Diego for the group Angel Flight West, which provides air transportation to medical patients who can't afford air travel.
  • Best remembered by the public as the host of Press Your Luck (1983).
  • Worked as a real estate agent shortly after leaving the game show scene.
  • Long before Jenny Jones would become a talk show hostess, she was one of his contestants on Press Your Luck (1983), winning $18,706, in 3 days.
  • Worked with announcer Rod Roddy on 2 game shows: Hit Man (1983) and Press Your Luck (1983).

Quotes

  • [on the late Gene Rayburn]: Gene was always so accommodating.
  • Have we been renewed? This would never happen to Bob Barker.
  • Game shows are a cut-throat business. Dozens of pilots are tapped every year, with very few getting picked up. For every hit concept, there are shows among shows that are pure garbage. I've hosted my fair share of duds. Hosting is not for the faint of heart. Unless you're Bob Barker, Alex Trebek or Pat Sajak, you're at a high risk of sudden unemployment at any time. You have to have loads of confidence and the ability to never get too comfortable.
  • I wasn't particularly suspicious. I was more nervous and scared that he was going to lose it all. Every single spin, he was risking amounts of money that were unfathomable for daytime television. I didn't want to see the results of him hitting a whammy. It was definitely the hardest moment of my career.
  • I never had any interest in hosting game shows. My agent was the one who planted the idea in my head. It's hard not to get interested in great pay for two months of work.

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