4/5/2022

Vanna White 1980

Vanna White 1980 7,6/10 4189 reviews

With so little to be sure of in this topsy-turvy world, at least one thing is certain: Each weeknight, Vanna White will glide across the stage of 'Wheel of Fortune,' revealing letters, applauding contestants, and looking beautiful while doing it.

Vanna White is an American TV hostess, Film actress. She is known for hosting the game show Wheel of Fortune. She has been associated with the show for 4 decades now (from 1980-). Vanna White was born Vanna Marie Rosich, on 18th February 1957 in Conway, South Carolin as the daughter of Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich. Personality Vanna White attending 'Vanna White Unveils New Clothing Line' on October 13, 1987 at Bloomingdale's in New York City, New York. Personality Vanna White and husband John Gibson being photographed on February 5, 1986 in Los Angeles, California.

'And that's my job,' said 'Wheel of Fortune' star Vanna White. 'I'll be the first to make fun of it, shall we say. It is what I do. And I feel very lucky that I was able to get this job. I love what I do.'

And fans of the show love what she does. White has been co-hosting 'Wheel of Fortune' with Pat Sajak for 37 years. Back in the Dark Ages (before 1997), White had to turn the letters.

Correspondent Mo Rocca asked, 'Do you miss turning the letters? I'm serious!'

'No. You know, I said: Is there any way you can make my job easier?' White laughed. 'I really didn't say that! But it took time, because they had to manually stop tape and change those letters [for each puzzle], which was couple of hours, at least, to do. So, when they turned it into a computerized puzzle board, it went like that [snap]. So, it saved hours.'

Some of the show's 10 to 11 million viewers tune in to see what she will wear.

'You've done over 7,000 episodes?' asked Rocca.

'Yes.'

'How many different dresses?'

'Over 7,000,' White replied. 'I've never worn the same dress twice.'

Vanna White was born 63 years ago in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 'It was wonderful. Back then, we didn't have to lock our doors. We left the keys in the car. It was a population of about 5,000 people.'

'And I read somewhere that you used to shoot marbles?'

'Yes, I did! In school. Did you?'

'I have to tell you. I'm not sure how to play marbles.'

She was ten years old when she decided she wanted a career in television. She did watch game shows: 'As a matter of fact, 'Concentration' was one of my game shows that I loved to watch. I even went to New York when I was 12 years old and went to the set of 'Concentration.'

After high school, she enrolled in the Atlanta School of Fashion and Design, where she studied fashion merchandising and poise.

In 1980 she moved to Los Angeles: 'I had $1,000 to my name -- $300 for the car, $700 for the apartment, and a job immediately.'

What was the job? 'Waitressing.'

After Susan Stafford, the original 'Wheel of Fortune' daytime co-host, left, White applied, ultimately vying against two other finalists.

Host Pat Sajak admits he didn't recommend White at the time: 'And Vanna knows this. Not that she wasn't lovely and wonderful and personable and all that, but she was the most nervous, by far, of any of them.'

Vanna White 1980s

But the show's creator, Merv Griffin, who also brought 'Jeopardy!' to television, knew what the public wanted, and told White why he chose her: 'He said, 'First of all, you and Pat make a great brother/sister team, I see you guys together. And you did turn the letters better than anyone else.'

Soon enough, 'Vannamania' swept the country.

Rocca asked, 'At what point did you realize: 'Oh, boy, I'm a household name. I'm a first-name-only person, Vanna,' like, that big?'

'That was when I was in the grocery line checking out, and I was on the cover of Newsweek,' she said. 'I thought: Wow, I guess I've made it.'

But four years into the job she suffered a terrible blow.

White was dating actor and former Chippendale's dancer John Gibson. The two were engaged. 'My boyfriend at the time was killed in a plane crash; that was devastating,' said White. 'And I know there's a lot of people out there that lose relatives, loved ones, suddenly. And it is, of course, the hardest thing to go through.

'But all my fans were so supportive. I received tons of fan mail, like letters: 'I've been through this.' And it just made me feel like I wasn't the only one.'

She calls the show a family, a cliche, to be sure, in television, but White seems genuinely to feel the pain of 'Wheel' contestants when they stumble. 'I feel so bad because those contestants go through so much and they're so nervous up there. You know, they say it the wrong way.'

'But you're empathetic.'

'Of course I am. I feel so sad for them when that happens.'

And that may be the key to Vanna White's enduring appeal: She and the audience have a genuine connection.

She offered some of the things people say to her: 'I've watched you my whole life.' Or, 'My grandmother and I watched you.' And 'You taught me the alphabet.' 'You taught me how to speak English.' So, we change people's lives.'

When asked the number one question he gets about White, Pat Sajak said, 'Where's Vanna?' as if I carry her around with me and put her in the overhead compartment when I travel, which I don't by the way.'

During most of the show's run, White has actually said very little on camera. But that changed this past December when Sajak was hospitalized for emergency surgery for a blocked intestine.

White filled in for Sajak for three weeks. 'The fact that she did it speak volumes about her,' he said. 'It would have been very easy for her to say, 'I'm sorry, this is not what I do.' But the audience was rooting for her and almost proud to see her up there.'

Rocca asked her, 'Would you ever wanna do it again?'

'Uhm, it's not at the top of my list,' she replied. 'I loved being there, I loved doing it. But I was so nervous. Maybe if I did it a few more times, I would feel better about it. But I'm my worst critic.'

White tapes 'Wheel of Fortune' four days a month. When she is not at the studio, she spends time with her son, Nico, and her daughter, Gigi, and with her boyfriend, real estate developer John Donaldson.

White's contract has her at 'Wheel of Fortune's puzzleboard until 2022, but we're pretty sure her fans will never let her leave.

Rocca asked, 'Are you ever worried that a robot's gonna take your job?'

'No,' she laughed. 'No, I'm not. Should I be?'

Vanna White 1980 Pics

Story produced by Jay Kernis.

Vanna White Biography

Celebrity Name:	Vanna White
Birth Name:	Vanna Marie Rosich
Birth Date:	February 18, 1957
Age:	63 years old
Birth Place:	Conway, South Carolina, United States
Gender:	Female
Nationality:	American
Height:	5ft6in
Weight:	58kg
Sexuality:	Straight
Profession:	TV hostess ; Actress
Marital Status:	Divorced
Spouse (Name):	John Gibson (1980 – 1986) ; Santo Pietro (1990 – 2002)
Children:	Nicholas ; Giovanna
Net Worth:	$70 million
Last Updated :	March, 2020

Popularly, Vanna White is known to be the hostess, co-host and puzzle-board turner of the American game show “Wheel of Fortune”. Vanna White is an American TV personality and an actress. She is currently 63 years old and her physical statistics are: height – 5ft 6in, and weight – 58kg (105 pounds). In this article, we will be sharing with you; Vanna White net worth, her biography TV personality career and many more.

Vanna White Biography

Vanna White’s birth name is Vanna Marie Rosich. She was born on the 18th of February, 1957 in Conway, South Carolina, United States. Her parents are Joan Marie Nicholas and Miguel Angel Rosich. While Vanna White was yet a baby, her parents got divorced which led to her being raised by her mother and her stepfather, Herbert White Jr., a former real estate broker, in North Myrtle Beach. As a result, Vanna adopted the surname of her stepfather “White”.

For her education, Vanna White relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she enrolled at The Atlanta School of Fashion and Design, after graduating from high school. There, she worked as a model.

Vanna White Career Life

In 1979, Vanna White went to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film acting. However, prior to her appearance on TV screen in 1980, Vanna White contested in the Miss Georgia USA 1978 pageant. Vanna White first appeared in a TV game show when she featured as a contestant on June 20, 1980. Later in the same year, Vanna White was involved in the production of an incomplete movie; which was finally edited and released as Gypsy Angels, ten years later in June 1990. Vanna White also published her autobiography “Vanna Speaks”, in 1987. The American TV personality has also featured in various TV shows via cameos in: The King of Queens, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Full House, L.A Law, Simon and Simon, and 227. In addition, she has also made cameo appearances in films such as Double Dragon (1994) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). Through the course of her career, she has featured as guest timekeeper and backstage interviewer for WrestleMania IV. Vanna White began her career as a TV hostess on Wheel of Fortune game show in 1982 after the previous show’s hostess, Susan Stafford left in October 1982. It is safe to say that Wheel of Fortune will continue to be a stable contribution to Vanna White net worth and income as her contract as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune will last till 2022.

Over the course of her career, Vanna White has worn over 6,500 dresses on the TV shows and she never wore the same cloth twice. An interesting fact about Vanna White is that she has clapped at least 3,480,864 times across the show’s 30 seasons. Also, she has appeared in all but 10 of Wheel of Fortune’s 5,754 episodes which began on September 19, 1983. Vanna White has also lent her voice to two different animated programs: the Canadian animated television special The Real Story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and the American animated TV series – Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

Vanna White Personal Life and Relationships

In the 1980’s, Vanna White was in a relationship with John Gibson. However, few years later, John Gibson died in a plane crash. Thereafter, White got married to George Santo Pietro in December 1990. Later in September 1992, she announced that she was pregnant, but however, lost the baby in a miscarriage. In 1994, she gave birth to her first child for Santo Pietro; a son whom they named Nicholas. In 1997, she again gave birth to another child, a daughter named Giovanna (Gigi). Vanna White’s marriage to Santo Pietro was dissolved by a divorce in November 2002. Thereafter, she got engaged to Michael Kaye, a businessman, from 2004 – 2006.

Vanna White Awards and Recognitions

One of the notable accolades accredited to Vanna White’s name is the prestigious occasion of being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 20, 2006 at 7018 Hollywood Blvd. Also, Vanna White has a Guinness World Record certificate for most frequent clapper, which was presented to her on the 24th of May, 2013.

Vanna White Net Worth

Vanna White net worth is currently estimated to be $70 million. She earns an annual salary of $10 million from her career as a hostess on Wheel of Fortune. In addition, part of the source of her net worth comes from her previous marriage to very wealthy real estate developer/restaurateur, George Santo Pietro. Also, Vanna White’s Samsung lawsuit can not be ignored. In 1993, she successfully sued the Samsung Electronics Company over a commercial that featured a smiling robot turning letters on a game show. She claimed that the company was copying her likeness without her authorized permission. In the end, the case ended up in Vanna White’s favor with the payment of $403,000 in damages. In addition to her net worth, Vanna White has her own line of yarns called “Vanna’s Choice” through Lion Brand Yarns. She also invests in apartment buildings. In all, Vanna White’s book “Vanna Speaks” records high sales and is listed as another source of White’s income.

Conclusion

These are the necessary details about Vanna White net worth and her biography. She has proven to be one of the best hostesses, when it comes to television shows. Despite being in her 60’s, she is not showing any sign of a retirement even we speak now. We can expect more beautiful appearances from this renowned TV hostess and actress.