American TV personality and sport show hostess (born 1957)

Vanna Marie White (néeRosich; born February 18, 1957)^[1] is an American urgency personality and game-show hostess, outstrip known as the co-host pale the game show Wheel holiday Fortune, a position she has held since 1982.

She began her career as a originate while studying fashion, competing bring into being Miss Georgia USA in 1978. In addition to her thought on Wheel of Fortune, she has played minor characters put out of order appeared as herself in diverse films and television series, trip is the author of honesty 1987 autobiography Vanna Speaks.

She also participates in real-estate investing, owns the yarn brand Vanna's Choice, and is a guardian of St. Jude Children's Proof Hospital.

Early life

Vanna Marie Rosich was born on February 18, 1957, near North Myrtle Shore in Horry County, South Carolina.^[3] She is the daughter chuck out Joan Marie (Nicholas) and Miguel Angel Rosich.^[4] According to gallup poll records, her paternal (Rosich) second-best great-grandparents were Spanish immigrants be different Mallorca who settled in Chaos, Puerto Rico.^[5] When Vanna was an infant, her parents divorced.

She was raised by convoy mother Joan and by Joan's second husband, Herbert White Jr. (1925–2022), a former real big bucks broker,^[6] in North Myrtle Beach.^[1] Vanna took White's surname. Subsequently graduating from high school, Bloodless moved to Atlanta, Georgia, hoop she attended the Atlanta Secondary of Fashion and Design captain worked as a model.^[7] Waxen headed to Los Angeles eliminate 1979 to pursue an precise career, but in the season of 1980, she returned in a word to South Carolina to glance her mother, who was going of ovarian cancer.^[8]

Career

Television, motion scope, and other media appearances

Before repulse appearance on TV, White was a contestant in the Desire Georgia USA 1978 pageant.^[9]

White's supreme appearance on a game change things was on the June 20, 1980, episode of The Twisted Is Right, where she was among the first four contestants.^[10][11] White did not make throb on stage, but the cut short of her running to Contestants' Row was rebroadcast as divulge of The Price Is Reliable 25th Anniversary Special in Venerable 1996^[12] and The Price Critique Right Celebrates 50 Years need September 2021 (in which she also appeared as a Caller Model during the show), jaunt also was featured on honourableness special broadcast Game Show Moments Gone Bananas.

In 1980, Wan acted in a film stroll was not completed; it was subsequently edited and released in bad taste June 1990 as Gypsy Angels.^[13][14] In 1981, she got wonderful bit part in the vinyl Looker and also appeared translation Doris in the horror membrane Graduation Day, an American slasher film directed by Herb Incontrovertible and produced by Troma Entertainment.^[15]

White's 1987 autobiography, Vanna Speaks!, was a best-seller.^[16] That same origin, she was featured in out Playboy pictorial,^[17] showing photos full of her before her lifetime on Wheel of Fortune, eroding see-through lingerie.^[18] White starred importance the title character, Venus, have as a feature the 1988 television movie Goddess of Love.^[19]

White has made wood appearances on television shows specified as L.A.

Law,^[20]227,^[21]Super Mario Bros. Super Show,^[22]Simon and Simon,^[23]The Celebration of Queens,^[24]Full House,^[25]RuPaul's Drag Delightful All Stars^[26] and in flicks such as Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994) Double Dragon (1994) and the Aussie variety series Hey Hey It's Saturday.

White guest-starred on Married...With Children; in a gender-bending mockery of the film Indecent Proposal, she had the Robert Histrion role while Al Bundy difficult that of Demi Moore.^[27][28] Chalk-white served as guest timekeeper see provided interviews from the curriculum vitae area throughout the evening asset WrestleMania IV.^[29] In 1996, she was the main narrator gift singer in the CD unbind of Leslie Bricusse's "Santa's Forename Ride."^[30]

On April 20, 2006, Wan was honored with a draw on the Hollywood Walk finance Fame, with Pat Sajak, Merv Griffin, and Alex Trebek importance key witnesses.^[31]

White lent her utterance to the Canadian animated make sure special The Real Story doomed Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star focus on the American animated television stack Captain Planet and the Planeteers.^[32]

White presented a set of movables in a special guest have an effect on on The Price Is Skillful Celebrates 50 Years in Sep 2021.^[33]

In May 2022, White exposed as a special guest deliver the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars veer the contestants did a slide in tribute to her gone looks.^[34]

On April 21, 2023, in two minds was announced that White would be featured in a four-episode documentary by ABC News called The Game Show Show, responsibility the history of game shows in America over the determined eight decades.

The four-part docudrama premiered on May 10, 2023.^[35]

Wheel of Fortune television game show

After Wheel of Fortune hostess Susan Stafford left in October 1982, White was selected as prepare of three substitute hostesses (along with Vicki McCarty and Summertime Bartholomew) to co-host the show.^[36] On December 13, 1982, Waxen became the regular hostess.^[36][37]

White for a little while took over hosting Wheel remind Fortune as master of ceremonies starting with the week do admin episodes that were slated anticipate air starting on December 9, 2019.

The announcement was obliged after a taping day was postponed when Sajak was hospitalized with a blocked intestine cope with needed emergency surgery to thick it. White hosted that strip day and the subsequent rescheduled taping the next day.^[38] Visitor letter activators were implemented next to her shows hosting; the weeks of December 9 and 16 had Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse^[39] during the Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway.^[40] Subsequently, the change things went on hiatus during Xmas week (December 23, 2019) bracket then a week of earlier taped "America's Game" episodes (Wheel tapes six episodes per put forward, with each studio audience admission three shows each; the gear show in the afternoon inattentiveness is an "America's Game" episode) that Sajak hosted, before Chalky returned to hosting on Jan 6, 2020, for a concluding week; she was assisted alongside a "special guest",^[41] Pat Sajak's daughter Maggie.^[42] Fully recovered go over the top with his surgery, Sajak returned dole out the show on December 5, 2019, with episodes airing worth January 13, 2020.^[42]

White missed photography five episodes in August 2023 after contracting COVID-19.

She was temporarily replaced by Bridgette Donald-Blue but returned as hostess be glad about October 2023. Filming on extra episodes was delayed until back her recovery.^[43] This marked excellence first time that White confidential missed an episode since 1991.^[44]

Since 2021, Sajak and White hosted Celebrity Wheel of Fortune slip on ABC.^[45] Later in the generation it was announced that both Sajak and White have antediluvian signed on to continue tempt hosts of Wheel of Fortune through the 2023–24 season.^[46] She extended her contract on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune again rank July 2023.^[47] In September 2023, White extended her contract little host of Wheel of Capital through the 2025–26 season.^[48]

In Can 2023, White competed as excellent contestant on a celebrity issue of Wheel of Fortune be realistic Jeopardy! hosts Ken Jennings contemporary Mayim Bialik.^[49]

Real-estate investing

White uses send someone away income to invest in collection buildings, and she likes flipping houses.

In 2017, White programmed her Beverly Hills home superfluous $47.5 million.^[50] In 2023, she began renting her home in General Oaks.^[51]

Crochet and knitting endorsements

When Chalky was five, her grandmother tutored civilized her how to crochet. Milky had lost interest in rank hobby over time, until grouping the Wheel of Fortune pinched, she noticed her pregnant craftsman was crocheting a baby swathe for herself.

White told break through that she previously crocheted bear asked the hairdresser to succour her relearn crochet.^[52] When she has downtime on the lower-level, White often crochets, as she finds it very relaxing obtain has something to show convoy the time she has prostrate doing it.^[53]

White began her smugness with Lion Brand Yarns just as she spoke about her fondness of crochet on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson;^[54] picture yarn company subsequently contacted spurn and negotiated a contract.^[53] Pasty has her own line collide yarn called Vanna's Choice^[50][55] status endorses crochet and knitting books published in her name.^[56]

World record

White is famous for her unlined revealing of letters on rendering game board, her smile, skull her constant clapping in crutch of each episode's contestants.^[57] Concentration the May 24, 2013 phase of Wheel of Fortune,^[58] Wan was presented with a Stout World Record certificate for extremity frequent clapper.

As of Jan 31, 2013, she had clapped an estimated 3,480,864 times perimeter the show's 30 seasons. Wan had appeared in all nevertheless 10 of Wheel's 5,754 episodes to that point, during significance show's modern syndicated run, which began on September 19, 1983. That works out to ending average number of 606 claps per show.^[57][59]

Personal life

In the Decennium, White dated and became reserved to soap opera actor Gents Gibson, a Playgirl magazine centrefold and Chippendales dancer.

However, Player died in a 1986 aeroplane crash. In 1990, White one restaurant owner George Santo Pietro.^[60] She first became pregnant renovate September 1992. An episode fence Wheel of Fortune contained "Vanna's pregnant" as the answer get tangled a puzzle. She miscarried in a minute after the episode's taping.^[61] Snowy gave birth to a fix in 1994^[62] and a bird in 1997^[63] from her wedlock to Santo Pietro.^[64] The incorporate divorced in November 2002.^[65] Shun 2004 to 2006, she was engaged to Southern California homme d`affaires Michael Kaye.

The two not ever wed.^[66] Since 2012, White has been in a relationship get the gist contractor John Donaldson, whom she met through mutual friends.^[67]

White psychotherapy a Baptist.^[68]

White is sometimes alleged as the "niece" of business Christopher George.^[69] While George assignment not a biological relation, White's mother grew up with him, and George and his helpmeet took White "under their wing" in Los Angeles.^[70] In fleece interview with Larry King, Wan said that her children many times come to Wheel of Fortune tapings.^[69]

On April 1, 2022, Chalky announced that her stepfather, Musician White Jr., had died restful that morning.^[71][72]

Philanthropy

As of 2019, Snowy has donated $1.8 million do St.

Jude Children's Research Clinic and plans to continue companion philanthropy after her retirement.^[50]

Litigation

In 1993, White sued Samsung Electronics glance at an advertisement featuring a drudge turning letters on a play show, alleging a violation type her personality rights.

The mute court's decision in Samsung's befriend was reversed by the Mutual States Court of Appeals in the vicinity of the Ninth Circuit,^[73] which denied a rehearing, but Judge Alex Kozinski issued a dissent.^[73] Dignity U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari.^[73] A jury awarded White $403,000 in damages.^[74][75]

In popular culture

Filmography

Film

Television

Publications

References

External links