Allen Ludden
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| Allen Ludden | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1918 Mineral Point, Wisconsin |
Allen Ludden (October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television presenter and game show host. He was born Allen Packard Ellsworth in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. The surname Ludden was his stepfather's.
Ludden hosted many game shows, including the GE College Bowl, but he was most famous for hosting both the daytime and primetime versions of Password on CBS and ABC between 1961 and 1975. He started hosting an updated version of the game, Password Plus on NBC, in 1979, but illness forced him off the show in 1980. Other shows hosted by Ludden include Liar's Club, Win With the Stars, and Stumpers! He also hosted the original pilot for The Joker's Wild and even had a (short-lived) talk-variety show, Allen Ludden's Gallery
Ludden, a Roman Catholic, was a widower with three children – his wife, the former Margaret McGloin, had died from cancer in 1961 – when he proposed to the twice-divorced Betty White, whom he had met on Password, at least twice before she accepted, and they were happily married from June 14, 1963 until Ludden's death. They appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on Password.
He received the 1961 Horatio Alger Award.
Ludden died from stomach cancer at the age of 62; several months beforehand, he suffered a stroke.
He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to his widow's star.
A walkway at the Los Angeles Zoo is named in his memory (his widow Betty White is a board member).
In 2001, TV Guide named Ludden the greatest game-show host of all time.
| Preceded by: None | Password/Password All-Stars/Password Plus host 1961–1980 | Succeeded by: Tom Kennedy |
