By dhruv dar | February 24, 2014 0 Comments

 Net Worth: $20 Million

 

Synopsis 

Vanna White is an American TV personality best known as the hostess and puzzle board turner of Wheel of Fortune. She won Star on the Walk of Fame award in 2006.  

 

Early Life

Vanna White was born on February 18, 1957 as Vanna Marie Rosich in Conway, South Carolina. She was born to Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich. Her father was Puerto Rican and soon after she was born, her father abandoned the family. Vanna took the surname of her stepfather, Herbart Staclkey White Jr., a former real estate agent in what is now known as north Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

 

Career & Wealth

As she completed her high school, White moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended Atlanta School of Fashion and worked there as model. In 1979, she headed to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career but in 1980, she returned to South Carolina to see her mother who was dying of ovarian cancer.

White returned to Hollywood with new resolve and got roles in movies which are largely forgettable including the role of Mickey in Gypsy Angels (1980).; a bit part in Looker (1981) starring opposite Albert Finney and a small role of Doris in the high school thriller Graduation Day (1981).She also appeared in one episode of the TV series Star of The Family (1982).

White’s first foray into  game shows was when she first appeared in the game show The Price is Right as a contestant on June 20,1980 episode. She did not make it onstage but clip of her running to contestant’s row was rebroadcast as part of the Price is Right 25^th Anniversary special in August 1996 and was also featured on a special broadcast Game Show Moments Gone Bananas. Two years later in October 1982 White was hired as one of the three substitute hostesses after Wheel of Fortune hostess Susan Stafford left the game show. She was chosen among the three substitutes to co-host the game show. Other two were Vicki McCarty and Summer Bartholomew. This was certainly the job that would make her career. White became the show’s regular hostess in December,13, 1982 and has remained the show’s daytime hostess ever since .She was chosen out of 200 applicants to join new host and former weatherman,Pat,Sajak, on the NBC game show, Wheel of Fortune created by entertainment giant Merv Griffin. The show met tremendous success over the next several years. By 1986 a syndicated evening version attracted 30 million, twice as many as number second syndicated program M*A*S*H (1972 TV series), and grossed 100 million dollar a year. Wheel of Fortune was seen by 40 million people in 1999, its 16^th year in syndication.

White’s position as hostess and chief letter turner and model of an ever changing line of designs on Wheel of Fortune made him a big star .She earned a lot of endorsements which added glory to her fame.  Her autobiography “Vanna Speaks” which got released in 1997 became a bestseller. In 1987 she was featured in Playboy pictorial, showing photos of her in see through lingerie, taken by her boyfriend (before she became a part of Wheel of Fortune).She starred in the NBC movie Venus: The Goddess of Love, Betsy Palmer her fellow game show personality co starred as Juno.She was criticized for her acting in this film with TV Guide joking that White’s acting was “Wheely” bad. In 1992 White was recognized in The Guinness Book of World Records as TV’s most frequent clapper, with an average 720 claps per show and over 28000 claps per season. She became a kind of an iconic personality in the American pop culture with her popularity peaking in 1980’s.She made cameo appearances on Television series such as L.A.Law, 227, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Simon and Simon and Full house and in films such as Naked Gun 33.33 The Final Insult .She served as the guest timekeeper in Wrestle mania 4.

White sued Samsung Electronics over a humorous ad featuring a robot turning wheels on a game show. White won the case and ultimately received $ 403,000 in damages.

 

Personal Life

White’s personal life was marked by tragedy in 1986, when her long time lover, Jon Gibson, a soap opera actor and Chippendale dancer, died in a plane crash. In 1990, White married restauranteur, George San Pietro.They have  a son named Nicholas (born in 1992) and a daughter named Giovanna (born in 1997). White and Pietro divorced in 2002.Few years later she started dating finance mogul Michael Kay and they got engaged but they never married. Her hobbies include crocheting. She has a line of yarn called “Vanna’s Choice” through Lion Brands Yarn.

Quotes

“I do everything that everybody else does”.

“My philosophy is eat when I’m hungry .Don’t just eat to eat .If I wake up in the morning and I’m starving, I will eat something .If I wake up not hungry at all, I don’t eat. Listening to my body has worked for me.

“It’s not the most intellectual job in the world but I do have to know the letters”.

“So, I understand when they make a mistake and everyone at home is throwing their shoe at the television set “.

“When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off”.