What was Don Pardo's Net Worth and Salary?
Don Pardo was an American radio announcer and voice actor who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death in 2014. Don Pardo was best known for being the voice of "The Price is Right," "Jeopardy!," "NBC Nightly News," and "Saturday Night Live." He was the original SNL announcer, starting in 1975 and running until his death. His career spanned more than seven decades, right up to his death. Don Pardo died on August 18th, 2014 at his home in Tuscan, Arizona. He was 96 years old.
Early Life
Pardo was born on February 22, 1918 in Westfield, Massachusetts to parents Dominick George Sr. and Valeria Rominak-Pardo. His parents were immigrants from Poland and they owned a bakery while Pardo was growing up. Pardo spent his childhood in Norwich, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. After finishing high school, he attended Emerson College and graduated in 1942.
Early Career
Pardo began working at WJAR, the radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1942. The station was an NBC affiliate. Two years later, he met a supervisor from NBC who immediately noticed Pardo's vocal talent. He joined NBC in New York as a full-time in-house announcer in 1944. He would remain with NBC for the next 70 years.
While at NBC, Pardo did continue doing some work in radio. He worked as an announcer on programs like "Barrie Craig," "Confidential Investigator," "X Minus One," and "Dimensions X." He was also one of the key on-air war reporters during World War II. He also worked as one of the rotating announcers on the KFOG San Francisco radio show, "Ten at Ten" for over 30 years.
The Price is Right
In the early 1950s, Pardo also began working as an announcer for many of RCA's and NBC's television demonstrations. He really made his mark at NBC when he started working as an announcer for various game shows. In 1952, he began working as the announcer on "Winner Take All." He was also the announcer on the original "The Price is Right" from 1956 until the show moved to ABC in 1963. His next big game show gig was "Jeopardy!" which he began announcing on in 1964. He remained on the show until the original version of the series ended in 1975. Other game shows which he announced on include "Three on a Match," "Winning Streak," and "Jackpot!"
NBC Nightly News
While working on these shows, he also had other announcing responsibilities at NBC. His voice could be heard during the coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade until 1999. He also sometimes did vocal work on WNBC-TV's "Live at Five" and the "NBC Nightly News." He was the first to announce to NBC viewers that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas in 1963.
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Saturday Night Live
His most prominent vocal role came in 1975 when he was chosen to be the announcer for NBC's new live comedy sketch show, "Saturday Night Live." He was the fourth voice heard on the show's premiere episode in 1975, which featured Michael O'Donoghue, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase in the cold opening. His voice can be heard just after the cold opening finishes with "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Pardo then announces the show's title and names the cast members and musical guests in a voice-over during the opening montage. Pardo remained the show's announcer until 2014. During that entire time, he only missed one full season from 1981 until 1982 when the show was announced by Mel Brandt or Bill Hanrahan.
In addition to his work on "Saturday Night Live!," Pardo continued working on other side projects, including various musical projects. In 1976, he participated in a musical performance by Frank Zappa in which he recited a verse of the song, "I'm the Slime." He then reprised this role on the live album "Zappa in New York." He also provided narration for the songs "The Illinois Enema Bandit" and "Punky's Whips." Pardo also collaborated with Weird Al Yankovic on the song "I Lost on Jeopardy," which is featured on Weird Al's second album. He also makes a cameo appearance in the music video that accompanies the song. In 1989, he participated in the recording "I Beg Your Pardon" by Canadian synthpop band, Kon Kan. The single became an international hit.
Even after Padro retired from NBC in 2004, he continued to announce for "Saturday Night Live" at the request of the show's executive producer, Lorne Michaels. In 2006, he started prerecording the announcement from a studio at his home in Arizona, though that arrangement did not last long as the producers decided he should be in studio. He then began flying to New York every week. He appeared during the closing segment of the show on February 23, 2008 to blow out the candles on a cake celebrating his 90th birthday. Beginning with the 36th season in 2010, Pardo again began recording his announcements from his home.
In 2010, Pardo was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. He also continued his announcing work on "Saturday Night Live!" through 2014, the year of his death. He was replaced by cast member Darrell Hammond.
Personal Life and Death
In 1938, Pardo married Catherine Lyons. They remained married until Catherine's death in 1995. During their marriage, the couple had five children – Donna, Karen, Paula, David, and Michael. On August 18, 2014, Pardo died in his sleep in Tucson, Arizona. He was 96 years old. Following his death, many tributes to Pardo poured in, as he was well-loved by audiences and celebrities alike.
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