Johnny Gilbert
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Johnny Gilbert (born July 13, 1924 in Newport News, Virginia) is a prolific American television game show announcer, best known for his over 20-year association with TV's Jeopardy!. His other credits include Sports Challenge, Camouflage, Chain Reaction, Go, Blackout, Card Sharks, Family Feud, The $25,000 Pyramid, and The Magnificent Marble Machine. Although he is widely credited as the only voice actor to have announced on both the Bill Cullen and Bob Barker versions of The Price Is Right, in reality he was not among the group of announcers requested to sub the CBS daytime format following the death of legendary Johnny Olson in 1985. A former nightclub singer and entertainer, he also emceed a number of game shows in the 1950s and 1960s eg Music Bingo, Fast Draw, and Beat The Odds. In 1996, Johnny was a sub-announcer for Charlie O'Donnell on Wheel of Fortune.
Beginning from 1986 to 1989, Gilbert began his association with Lorimar-Telepictures, announcing on a few game shows such as: The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime and Perfect Match. He was also the interim announcer on the long-running dating game show Love Connection, for the 1988-89 season with Chuck Woolery, before John Cervenka was selected as the permanent announcer, the following season.
From 1990 to 1994, and 2000, Gilbert was also the successful announcer of the revival of Supermarket Sweep, alongside David Ruprecht, for Lifetime Television. Although he didn't appear very often on camera with Ruprecht, he did at times know a great deal about the team purchases along with bonus items and specials contestants put into their carts during the show's run.
At age 82 (as of 2007), Johnny Gilbert is believed to be the oldest active game show announcer in the business. Don Pardo, a former game show announcer (also the announcer on the first version of Jeopardy!) and currently the announcer for Saturday Night Live, is believed to be the oldest active announcer with prior game show experience at age 89. Coincidentally, both were announcers on the first version of The Price Is Right, Pardo when it was on NBC (1956-63), Gilbert after it moved to ABC (1963-65).
