Richard Wagstaff Clark (known to millions as Dick Clark) was born November 30, 1929, and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. His career began as early as 1945 when he worked the mailroom for WRUN based out of Utica, New York. Seeing as his uncle owned the radio station and his father managed it, it’s not surprising this was where he got his start.
Quickly, the company realized what a hard working and charismatic figure they had, and he was promoted to news anchor and weatherman. He then went on to graduate from Syracuse University in 1951.
Clark bounced around radio, television, and various cities for the next five years. But by July 9, 1956, Clark received the break he was looking for. He became the host of a then little known television show. Picked up by ABC and renamed, American Bandstand was on its way to becoming a hit sensation and making Clark a star in the process. Some bandstand stars included Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Debbie Reynolds, and Billy Idol. Clark would remain the host until 1989.
More than just the host of Bandstand, Clark also had a memorable appearance on the television series Perry Mason. And in 1972 he hosted his first Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, which turned into a tradition that persists even today.
By 1973 Clark had struck gold yet again. This time it was with the game show The $10,000 Pyramid. By 1988, the show had progressed to The $100,000 Pyramid. His hosting position earned him three Emmy Awards.
A versatile business man as much as anything else, Clark even created the American Music Awards. Next, Clark moved on to TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. With the realization of this Bloopers show, Clark became the only person to simultaneously host three separate shows on each of the major television networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Solidifying himself as "America’s Oldest Teenager," from 2001 to 2003 he was still in the public eye. Together with Mario Lopez, Dorian Gregory, and Danny Bonaduce, they co-hosted The Other Half.
He also produced the highly popular television series American Dreams starring Brittany Snow, which ran from 2002 to 2005.
More recently, Clark hosted a weekly radio program titled Dick Clark’s Rock, Roll, and Remember. However, Clark suffered a stroke in 2004, and the station has been rerunning episodes ever since.
Although Clark is the subject of many jokes about his apparent unwillingness to age, he has been plagued by health problems in recent years. He has Type 2 Diabetes, and was unable to host his New Year’s event in 2004 due to a stroke. Regis Philbin took his place.
Clark returned to television on December 31, 200,5 to reclaim his New Year’s show. He looked well, but he also had obvious difficulty speaking. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest has agreed to fill in for Clark in the event he cannot proceed in future years.
Clark has been married three times. His first wife was Barbara Mallery, his childhood sweetheart. They were married from 1952 to 1961 and had one child together. He had two children with his second wife, Loretta Martin. They married in 1962 and divorced in 1971. Clark’s last marriage was in 1977 to Kari Wigton with whom he is still together.
YUDDY
