Who is Don Pardo? See Net-worth, Quote, Awards, Fact, Wiki

Dominick George Pardo Wiki Biography

Dominick George Pardo, born on the 22nd of February 1918, was an American radio and television personality who gained fame for being the long-time announcer for “Saturday Night Live.” He passed away in 2014.

So how much is Pardo’s net worth? As of late 2017, based on authoritative sources it is reported to be $15 million, acquired from his years working in both radio and television.

Don Pardo Net Worth $15 Million

Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, Pardo was the son of Dominick and Viola Pardo. His parents were Polish immigrants and were bakery owners. He spent his younger years in Massachusetts, and graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1942.

Pardo’s professional career actually started in 1938, when he joined the radio station WJAR, an NBC affiliate, and hosted several programs in the show until he transferred to NBC radio in 1944. He worked on the staff behind the scenes in the network, until eventually becoming an announcer on several shows, including “Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator”, “Dimension X”, and “X Minus One”. His early years working in radio helped establish his career and also his net worth.

When the 1950’s came, Pardo transferred to television and began announcing for various NBC and RCA shows. He broke into mainstream fame when he became the announcer of “The Price is Right” from 1956 to 1963, then when the show finished, transferred to another network, he found himself announcing for “Jeopardy!” from 1964 to 1975. Other game shows he announced for also included “Three on a Match”, “Winning Streak”, and “Jackpot.” His transition to television established him as one of the premiere announcers in the industry, and certainly helped raised his wealth.

During his years working on television, Pardo became most known for his work on “Saturday Night Live”. He began announcing for the show in 1975, and his words “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” became an iconic catchphrase from then on. He worked for the show until he decided to retire in 2004. But after a couple of nudges from the show’s producers, he agreed to come back as the announcer of the show, and pre-recorded most of his lines.

Aside from being an announcer, Pardo is also known to have worked with Frank Zappa, and narrated some of his songs. He also had a short stint as an actor and was heard on Weird Al Yankovic’s song “I Lost on Jeopardy”.

In terms of his personal life, he was married to Catherine Lyons from 1938 until her passing in 1995, and together they have five children. Pardo died in his sleep in 2014 at the age of 96 – he worked for “Saturday Night Live” until he passed away.



Full Name Don Pardo
Net Worth $15 Million
Date Of Birth February 22, 1918, Westfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died August 18, 2014 (age 96), Tucson, Arizona, United States
Height 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
Profession Announcer, Voice Actor, Actor
Education Emerson College in Boston
Nationality American
Spouse Catherine (Kay) Lyons (1938 – 1995, her death)
Children Paula Pardo, David Pardo, Michael Pardo, Dona Pardo, Katherine Pardo
Parents Dominick Pardo, Viola Pardo
Nicknames Dominick George Pardo , Dominick George “Don” Pardo , Dom Pardo
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661094
Allmusic https://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-pardo-mn0000190964
Awards Television Hall of Fame (2010), Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame (2009)
Movies Radio Days (1987), Stay Tuned (1992), The Simpsons (2010-2012), The Godson (1998), Dream On (1992), Totally Minnie (TV Movie, 1988), I Lost On Jeopardy (1984, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s music video)
TV Shows Saturday Night Live (TV Series, 1975-2014), NBC Nightly News, SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas (2009), Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live (2005), Wheel of Fortune (1988), The Price Is Right (1956-1963), Winner Take All (1952)
Trademark
1 His voice
Quote
1 [for his famous Saturday Night Live introduction, which is cried out at the end of the cold open skit] Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!
Fact
1 He became famous for “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”, which was cried out at the end of the opening skit, and then he followed up with announcing the show’s title, then names the cast members and musical guest(s) in a voice-over during the opening montage.
2 On May 14, 2009, when he was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame, Pardo suggested that the May 16, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live (1975) (SNL) would be his last. This turned out not to be true, when he returned to his announcing duties for SNL’s 35th season, still flying to New York City once per week for SNL’s live broadcast. Beginning with the 36th season, SNL producers relented, and allowed him to pre-record his segments from his Tucson, Arizona home studio, instead of performing live in New York City.
3 As of his death on August 18, 2014, he had been a continuous employee (with the last remaining lifetime contract) of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) for 70 years, 64 days. To express this in another way, he was a continuous employee of NBC for a total of 25,631 consecutive days, since being hired as a NBC Radio staff announcer on June 15, 1944.
4 When he broke his hip in the spring of 2013, he missed two Saturday Night Live (1975) (SNL) broadcasts, late in the 2012-2013 SNL season.
5 To protect his valuable voice, he was known to carry soothing cough lozenges with him wherever he went.
6 Pardo was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, with the other members of the Hall of Fame “class” of 2010.
7 Jimmy Fallon said “Nothing compares to the moment Don Pardo says your name.” Maya Rudolph expressed a similar sentiment, “The moment you said my name was the height of my career”.
8 He was the son of Valeria/Viola (Rominak) and Domenick J. Pardo. He was of Polish descent.
9 As a staff announcer at NBC on November 22, 1963, he read the first account of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in a voiceover on the NBC Television Network.
10 Was still active in 2014 until the time of his passing at the age of 96.
11 One of two people to have a lifetime contract with NBC. The other was Bob Hope.
12 He semi-retired in 2004 (he could never fully retire, since he had the last remaining NBC lifetime contract), and moved to Tucson, Arizona. But, Saturday Night Live (1975) (SNL) producers convinced him to continue announcing for the show. Thereafter, for every new SNL episode, Pardo was flown from his Tucson home to New York City. In the time since 2004, for a few episodes, SNL producers allowed him to tape announcements from his home. But the producers had a strongly expressed preference to have him in the SNL studio to warm-up the audience and insisted he come to the SNL studio for each new live SNL to announce.
13 On the February 23, 2008 broadcast of Saturday Night Live (SNL), Pardo was brought on camera at the end of the show, which was actually the morning of Sunday, February 24, 2008, he was honored in celebration of his 90th birthday, and blew out the candles on his 90th birthday cake.
14 Joined NBC Radio as a staff announcer on June 15, 1944.
15 His booth in Studio 8H during Saturday Night Live (1975) was located at the exact spot in which Arturo Toscanini used to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra on radio from 1937 to 1950 and on television from 1948 to 1950 (the concerts were relocated to Carnegie Hall between 1950 and 1954).
16 Has been the announcer for Saturday Night Live (1975) for every season except the seventh. Thus, he was the person that’s been involved with the show for the longest, even longer than executive producer Lorne Michaels who left the show from 1980-1985.
17 He made the opening announcement for J.P.’s “College of 97 Rock Knowledge” on 97-Rock WGRF-FM, a rock radio show based in Buffalo, New York, USA.
18 Announcer for NBC Radio’s “The Magnificent Montague” (1950-1951).
19 In addition to being the staff announcer on Saturday Night Live he was also the staff announcer for the Live at Five news program on WNBC-TV Channel 4 in New York City.
20 His middle name is George because he was born on George Washington’s Birthday.

Actor

Title Year Status Character
Saturday Night Live 1975-2013 TV Series Announcer / Radio Anchorman / Himself – Announcer
The Simpsons 2010-2012 TV Series Don Pardo
30 Rock 2009 TV Series Sid
Histeria! 1998 TV Series The Announcer for ‘Histeria Night Live’
Honeymoon in Vegas 1992 Announcer (uncredited)
Stay Tuned 1992 Game Show Announcer
Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection 1991 Video
Totally Minnie 1988 TV Movie Announcer
Radio Days 1987 ‘Guess That Tune’ Host
The Sex O’Clock News 1985 Announcer
Celebrity Doubletalk 1967 TV Movie Announcer (voice)
Standard Oil New Jersey Presents Its 75th Anniversary Entertainment 1957 TV Movie Announcer
Best Foot Forward 1954 TV Movie Announcer (uncredited)
The Ford 50th Anniversary Show 1953 TV Movie Announcer
All Star Revue 1953 TV Series Announcer
Fireside Theatre 1951 TV Series
The Colgate Comedy Hour 1951 TV Series Announcer
NBC Presents 1949 TV Series

Soundtrack

Title Year Status Character
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection 2003 Video performer: “I Lost On Jeopardy”
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Live! 1999 Video performer: “I Lost On Jeopardy”
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic: The Videos 1996 Video performer: “I Lost On Jeopardy”

Thanks

Title Year Status Character
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt 2013 TV Series special thanks – 1 episode
Oz 2001 TV Series special thanks – 2 episodes

Self

Title Year Status Character
Saturday Night Live 1975-2014 TV Series Himself – Announcer / Himself / Fred de Cordova / …
SNL Sports Spectacular 2014 TV Movie Himself – Announcer (voice)
Saturday Night Live: Best of This Season 2014 TV Special Himself – Announcer (voice)
Saturday Night Live: Halloween 2013 TV Special Himself – Announcer (voice)
The Oprah Winfrey Show 2011 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Saturday Night Live Backstage 2011 TV Special documentary Himself – Announcer (voice)
Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-Stars 2010 TV Special Himself – Announcer (voice)
The 19th Annual Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame 2010 TV Special Himself – Honoree
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas 2009 TV Movie Himself – Announcer (voice, uncredited)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 2009 TV Series Himself – Guest Announcer
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse 2006 TV Special Himself (voice)
Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live 2005 TV Special documentary Himself
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Halftime Special 2003 TV Special Himself – Announcer (voice)
Saturday Night Live Christmas 2002 2002 TV Special Himself – Annoucer (uncredited)
Oz 2001 TV Series Himself
Saturday Night Live Christmas 1999 Video Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live 25 1999 TV Special documentary Himself – Announcer (voice, uncredited)
The Godson 1998 Himself
Late Night with Conan O’Brien 1997 TV Series Himself
Dream On 1992 TV Series Himself
The ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Video Library: His Greatest Hits 1992 Video short Himself / Announcer (I Lost On Jeopardy) (uncredited)
The Earth Day Special 1990 TV Special Weekend Update Announcer (voice, uncredited)
The Best of Eddie Murphy: Saturday Night Live 1989 Video documentary Himself – Announcer (voice, uncredited)
Wheel of Fortune 1988 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Late Night with David Letterman 1988 TV Series Himself
The Compleat Al 1985 Video Himself – “Jeopardy!” Announcer
Those Wonderful TV Game Shows 1984 TV Special documentary Himself – Announcer
Steve Martin’s Best Show Ever 1981 TV Special Himself – Announcer (voice)
News 4 New York 1980 TV Series Announcer (1980-1991)
Jackpot 1975 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Winning Streak 1974 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Jeopardy! 1964-1973 TV Series Himself – Announcer / Announcer
Three on a Match 1971 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Eye Guess 1966-1967 TV Series Himself – Announcer
The Match Game 1964-1965 TV Series Himself – Announcer
The Price Is Right 1956-1963 TV Series Himself – Announcer / Himself – Host
Charge Account 1960 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Concentration 1958 TV Series Sub-Announcer (1962-1963)
Max Liebman Presents: Promenade 1955 TV Movie Himself – Announcer
Droodles 1954 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Judge for Yourself 1953 TV Series Himself / Announcer
Choose Up Sides 1953 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Three Steps to Heaven 1953 TV Series Himself – Announcer
The Colgate Comedy Hour 1951-1953 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Winner Take All 1952 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Remember This Date 1950 TV Series Himself – Announcer

Archive Footage

Title Year Status Character
Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special 2015 TV Special Himself – Announcer (In Memoriam)
The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2015 TV Special Himself – In Memoriam
The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 TV Special Himself – In Memoriam
Mike & Mike 2014 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz 2005 TV Special Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks 2004 TV Special Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection 2003 Video Himself – Jeopardy Announcer (I Lost on Jeopardy) (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live 2002 TV Series Himself – Announcer
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Molly Shannon 2001 Video short Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Rock 1999 TV Special documentary Himself – Announcer
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers 1998 Video documentary Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic: The Videos 1996 Video Himself – Jeopardy Announcer (I Lost On Jeopardy)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Robin Williams 1991 Video documentary Himself – Announcer (uncredited)
The Best of Dan Aykroyd 1986 Video Himself – Announcer (uncredited)

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