Rhonda Shear

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Rhonda Shear
Beauty pageant titleholder
Birth name: Rhonda Honey Shear
Birthdate: November 12, 1954(1954-11-12)
Birth location: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Title(s): Miss Louisiana USA 1975
Major Competition(s): Miss USA 1975

Rhonda Shear (born November 12, 1954) is an American television personality, comedienne, and actress.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Shear was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a Jewish American family. She attended Loyola University, earning a B.A. in Communications.[1] Before she became famous, she earned titles in several beauty contests, including holding the titles of Miss Louisiana USA 1975 for Miss USA and that of Miss Louisiana for both the Miss World and the Miss International pageants. [2] Among her other titles was Queen of the Floral Trail Society. While she sported the latter title, she posed fully clothed for Playboy, but the organizers of that title were opposed to her appearing in that magazine, and took the title away from her. Shear gained notoriety after this episode.

After a feud with the New Orleans Register of Conveyances she ran against him the following election. She conducted her campaign in a deliberately flippant way, handing out numerous glamour shot photographs of herself to potential voters. She lost by some 130 votes, but in the process succeeded in her goal of ousting the incumbent. Noticing her, comedian Bob Hope then took her to Hollywood to produce a special named The Starmakers.

[edit] Career

Shear is best known for her role as a host of the USA Network's 1980's/90's weekend B-movie show, USA Up All Night. From 1991 to 1998 she hosted in-studio and on-location segments that aired on Friday (and later moved to Saturday) nights, replacing comedian Caroline Schlitt (the Friday night host for the show's first few years). Shear's tone of voice when pronouncing the title "USA **Up!**...All Night!!" made it a temporary household phrase. Shear also briefly hosted a comedy venue called "Spotlight Cafe," hosted previously by comic Judy Tenuta.

In June 1991, Shear returned to Playboy appearing in the Funny Girls pictorial published by the magazine, with fewer clothes this time. In October 1993 she appeared in her own Playboy pictorial titled "Rhonda Up All Night".

She can be seen regularly showcasing her legs in pantyhose and has her own clothing line sold on HSN, ranging from hosiery to other intimate undergarments. In 2007, it was announced she will be opening a retail store for these products in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rhonda Shear Biography. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  2. ^ The Rhonda Shear Site - About Rhonda - Rhonda Trivia. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Shear, Rhonda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shear, Rhonda Honey
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress, television personality, comedienne
DATE OF BIRTH November 12, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH