Susan Stafford

Susan Stafford (born Susan Gail Carney on October 13, 1945 in Lynn, Massachusetts) was the original hostess of the game show Wheel of Fortune from January 6, 1975 until she left on October 22, 1982. She also returned briefly in 1986 to substitute for Vanna White.

Stafford married radio pioneer Gordon McLendon in 1973, and was then briefly married to Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports and former producer of Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. Ebersol and Stafford were married on a beach in Malibu. Their wedding was attended by the likes of John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and SNL producer Lorne Michaels. After they exchanged vows, Chase jokingly grabbed Stafford and threw her into the ocean. Stafford later became involved with game show producer Dan Enright. At the time, she was also Vice President of Public Relations of Barry & Enright Productions.

After leaving the show, Stafford earned a B.A. in Nutrition and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the unaccredited Pacific Western University.

In 2003, Stafford made her first game show appearance since Wheel, modeling the prizes for Hollywood Squares Game Show Week (Part 2).

External links

• Susan Stafford's Home Page
• Susan Stafford at the Internet Movie Database