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John Davidson (entertainer)

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Years active
  
1958–present

Name
  
John Davidson


Role
  
Singer · johndavidson.com

Education
  
John Davidson (entertainer) Cleancut singeractor John Davidson reveals his 39Wicked

Full Name
  
John Hamilton Davidson

Born
  
December 13, 1941 (age 82) (
1941-12-13
)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Occupation
  
Actor, singer, game show host

Spouse
  
Rhonda Rivera (m. 1983), Jackie Miller (m. 1968–1983)

Children
  
Jennifer Davidson, John Davidson Jr., Ashleigh Davidson

Albums
  
My Christmas Favorites, Every Time I Sing a Love Song

Movies and TV shows
  
Hollywood Squares, That's Incredible!, The Happiest Millionaire, The One and Only - Genuine, Edward Scissorhands

Similar People
  
Lesley Ann Warren, Tommy Steele, Cathy Lee Crosby, Fran Tarkenton, Karen Valentine

Buzz interviews john davidson


John Hamilton Davidson (born December 13, 1941) is an American actor, singer, and game show host known for hosting That's Incredible!, Time Machine and Hollywood Squares in the 1980s, and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991.

Contents

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Biography

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Davidson was born to two Baptist ministers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from high school in White Plains, New York, before entering Denison University. He thought about following in the footsteps of his parents, but ultimately decided that he would rather sing about love than preach it.

John Davidson (entertainer) John Davidson Pleasures of Building a San Miguel House

He went on to work in various television roles, including sitcoms, game shows, variety shows and talk shows. Davidson is a protégé of television producer Robert James "Bob" Banner Jr., and as a tribute to his mentor, he ran a summer camp for would-be performers for two summers in the 1970s. As the 1980s began, Davidson became well known for hosting, alongside Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby, That's Incredible! (1980-1984), a human interest/stunt-themed series whose creation, by Alan Landsburg, followed in the tradition of the 1950s television show You Asked for It.

Career

John Davidson (entertainer) JOHN DAVIDSON ENTERTAINER WALLPAPERS FREE Wallpapers

Davidson made his film debut in The Happiest Millionaire, released in 1967, alongside Lesley Ann Warren and Fred MacMurray. The next year saw Warren and Davidson co-star again in The One and Only, Genuine, Original, Family Band.

During an appearance on the game show Scrabble in 1987, he told the national television audience that he appeared as an underwear model in the 1959 Sears catalogue; he would have been 17 at the time. He made his Broadway debut in the 1964 production of Foxy, which starred Bert Lahr. He also appeared in State Fair in 1996.

He was a member of the regular repertory company on the short-lived CBS variety show The Entertainers (1964–65). He made more than one hundred appearances on the original Hollywood Squares during its 1966–1981 run. He was a regular player on many anthology and variety series of the 1970s–1980s, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Love American Style, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Spenser: For Hire.

Davidson made numerous appearances on the original Hollywood Squares, from the game show's 1966 premiere to its 1981 cancellation, and he was there known for his long-winded bluffs. None of the comparatively minor celebrities who were guests of producers Merrill Heatter and Robert "Bob" Quigley were more convincing at getting contestants to believe his (often ridiculous) answers to questions the program's "Square-Master," or host, entertainer Peter Marshall, posed. Most times, Marshall could barely conceal a grin as Davidson started in on some far-fetched but plausible explanations for his answers, often prefaced with something to the effect of: "I just read about it in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was a fascinating study, and it said that...". Davidson sold these preposterous stories with such sincerity that contestants were often duped more than once in the same show.

In 1973 and 1974, he starred alongside Sally Field on the situation comedy The Girl with Something Extra. (The "something extra" Field's character had was psychic powers.) In 1974, he guest-starred on the television series The Streets of San Francisco, in the episode "Mask of Death," portraying a cross-dressing lounge singer who murders his/her fans. In the episode, Davidson sings in drag while impersonating such notables as Carol Channing, singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." Also in 1974, the singer posed near-nude (with a strategically placed towel) for the magazine Cosmopolitan.

In 1977, Davidson was present at the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky. He was expected to appear onstage as the headline act the evening the fire broke out, killing 165. Davidson helped others escape before fleeing through a back door.

Davidson was not injured and later participated in a charity concert to raise funds for the families of fire victims. Unfortunately, Davidson's then music director, Douglas Herro, was among the victims whom the fire killed.

In the late 1970s, the actor became one of four regular guest hosts (along with Joey Bishop, McLean Stevenson and Joan Rivers) on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and hosted the show 87 times. In the early 1980s, he hosted his own talk show, produced by Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W, after it canceled The Mike Douglas Show. Davidson's show aired daily in syndication from 1980 to 1982. In 1985, he hosted the NBC daytime game show Time Machine.

Davidson worked with real estate promoter Dave Del Dotto’s paid programs during the late 1980s and early 1990s which were notable for taking place in outdoor, scenic settings (such as Hawaii), and for having the actor as host. These "infomercials", as they have come to be called, often appeared on late night television and were a staple for years on many cable channels till the FCC filed a complaint against Del Dotto in 1995, alleging that in his paid programs, Del Dotto had "made false and unsubstantiated representations."

Davidson also hosted a revival of Hollywood Squares, whose announcer, Shadoe Stevens, in time also became a regular "square," which ran from 1986 to 1989. In addition, he hosted a 170-episode revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991. Davidson also appeared as a featured guest on the Carpenters's television specials Space Encounters (1977) and Music! Music! Music! (1980).

Davidson has recorded twelve albums (none of which charted on Billboard's Hot 100, a failure he has attributed to his not being a good studio singer) and performed in various musicals. His album CD John Hamilton Davidson Is a Funny Guy was released late 2006 to show both his skills at comedy and singing. He acted in many movies including The Happiest Millionaire (1967), The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), Coffee, Tea or Me (1973), The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders II (1980) and Edward Scissorhands (1990).

Davidson has appeared in recent productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Kismet, State Fair, Man of La Mancha, Chicago, and Will Rogers' Follies, at the Surflight Theatre in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. He has also performed in his own play, Father/Son and Holy Ghost, an autobiographical play about his relationship with his father, who was a minister; this last has received generally negative reviews. He has placed several singles on their "Adult Contemporary" survey, the most popular being "Everytime I Sing a Love Song," which reached #7 in 1976.

In July 1991, Davidson appeared in summer stock with Sacramento Music Circus of Sacramento, California in The Music Man alongside Susan Watson, Richard Paul, Carol Swarbrick, and the Delta Music Society Quartet of Sacramento.

In late 2011, Davidson was listed as a guest star with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California.

In June 2012, Davidson took on the role of Henry in the off-Broadway revival of The Fantasticks. In April 2013, Davidson took on the role of the Wizard in the first North American tour of Wicked. In June 2017, Davidson took on the role of Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook in the North American tour of Finding Neverland

References

John Davidson (entertainer) Wikipedia