Don Pardo’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What was Don Pardo’s Net Worth and Salary?Don Pardo was an American radio announcer and voice actor who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death in 2014. Don Pardo was best known for being the voice of “The Price is Right,” “Jeopardy!,” “NBC Nightly News,” and “Saturday Night Live.” He was the original SNL announcer, starting in 1975 and running until his death. His career spanned more than seven decades, right up to his death. Don Pardo died on August 18th, 2014 at his home in Tuscan, Arizona. He was 96 years old.Early LifePardo was born on February 22, 1918 in Westfield, Massachusetts to parents Dominick George Sr. and Valeria Rominak-Pardo. His parents were immigrants from Poland and they owned a bakery while Pardo was growing up. Pardo spent his childhood in Norwich, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. After finishing high school, he attended Emerson College and graduated in 1942.Early CareerPardo began working at WJAR, the radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1942. The  station was an NBC affiliate. Two years later, he met a supervisor from NBC who immediately noticed Pardo’s vocal talent. He joined NBC in New York as a full-time in-house announcer in 1944. He would remain with NBC for the next 70 years.While at NBC, Pardo did continue doing some work in radio. He worked as an announcer on programs like “Barrie Craig,” “Confidential Investigator,” “X Minus One,” and “Dimensions X.” He was also one of the key on-air war reporters during World War II. He also worked as one of the rotating announcers on the KFOG San Francisco radio show, “Ten at Ten” for over 30 years.The Price is RightIn the early 1950s, Pardo also began working as an announcer for many of RCA’s and NBC’s television demonstrations. He really made his mark at NBC when he started working as an announcer for various game shows. In 1952, he began working as the announcer on “Winner Take All.” He was also the announcer on the original “The Price is Right” from 1956 until the show moved to ABC in 1963. His next big game show gig was “Jeopardy!” which he began announcing on in 1964. He remained on the show until the original version of the series ended in 1975. Other game shows which he announced on include “Three on a Match,” “Winning Streak,” and “Jackpot!”NBC Nightly NewsWhile working on these shows, he also had other announcing responsibilities at NBC. His voice could be heard during the coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade until 1999. He also sometimes did vocal work on WNBC-TV’s “Live at Five” and the “NBC Nightly News.” He was the first to announce to NBC viewers that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas in 1963.Saturday Night LiveHis most prominent vocal role came in 1975 when he was chosen to be the announcer for NBC’s new live comedy sketch show, “Saturday Night Live.” He was the fourth voice heard on the show’s premiere episode in 1975, which featured Michael O’Donoghue, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase in the cold opening. His voice can be heard just after the cold opening finishes with “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” Pardo then announces the show’s title and names the cast members and musical guests in a voice-over during the opening montage. Pardo remained the show’s announcer until 2014. During that entire time, he only missed one full season from 1981 until 1982 when the show was announced by Mel Brandt or Bill Hanrahan.In addition to his work on “Saturday Night Live!,” Pardo continued working on other side projects, including various musical projects. In 1976, he participated in a musical performance by Frank Zappa in which he recited a verse of the song, “I’m the Slime.” He then reprised this role on the live album “Zappa in New York.” He also provided narration for the songs “The Illinois Enema Bandit” and “Punky’s Whips.” Pardo also collaborated with Weird Al Yankovic on the song “I Lost on Jeopardy,” which is featured on Weird Al’s second album. He also makes a cameo appearance in the music video that accompanies the song. In 1989, he participated in the recording “I Beg Your Pardon” by Canadian synthpop band, Kon Kan. The single became an international hit.Even after Padro retired from NBC in 2004, he continued to announce for “Saturday Night Live” at the request of the show’s executive producer, Lorne Michaels. In 2006, he started prerecording the announcement from a studio at his home in Arizona, though that arrangement did not last long as the producers decided he should be in studio. He then began flying to New York every week. He appeared during the closing segment of the show on February 23, 2008 to blow out the candles on a cake celebrating his 90th birthday. Beginning with the 36th season in 2010, Pardo again began recording his announcements from his home.In 2010, Pardo was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. He also continued his announcing work on “Saturday Night Live!” through 2014, the year of his death. He was replaced by cast member Darrell Hammond.Personal Life and DeathIn 1938, Pardo married Catherine Lyons. They remained married until Catherine’s death in 1995. During their marriage, the couple had five children – Donna, Karen, Paula, David, and Michael. On August 18, 2014, Pardo died in his sleep in Tucson, Arizona. He was 96 years old. Following his death, many tributes to Pardo poured in, as he was well-loved by audiences and celebrities alike.
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Fab Five Freddy’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Fab Five Freddy’s Net Worth?Fab Five Freddy is an American hip hop artist, visual artist, and filmmaker who has a net worth of $2 million. Fab Five Freddy is widely considered to be one of the architects of the street art movement in New York City. He was also the first host of the hip-hop music video show “Yo! MTV Raps.” In 1981 Fab Five Freddy was mentioned in the Blondie song “Rapture” with the lyrics “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly”. Fab Five Freddy famously didn’t show up for the music video shoot for “Rapture,” thinking she wasn’t seriously going to rap or name-check him. So at the last minute Blondie cast her friend Jean-Michel Basquiat to stand behind turntables in his place. Basquiat can be seen in the video pretending to know how to use turntables. Some consider this song the first time rap was introduced to the mainstream. Freddy directed the music video “One Love” by Nas and worked on and appeared in the movie American Gangster.Early LifeFab Five Freddy, or Fred Brathwaite, was born on August 31, 1959 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City. He grew up listening to jazz music, as his parents were big fans of the genre. Not much else is known about his early life or family.CareerIn 1978, Freddy became a member of the Brooklyn-based graffiti group known as the Fabulous 5. The group had become notorious in the city for painting the entire side of New York City Subway cars. Under Freddy’s direction, and with the help of other Fabulous 5 member Lee Quiñones, the group began shifting their attention from being focused on street art only to the art world more generally. By 1979, Freddy had an exhibit in a prestigious gallery in Rome, Italy called Galleria LaMedusa. In 1980, he painted a subway car with his depiction of giant Campbell’s Soup cans, a tribute to Andy Warhol. In late 1980, he was cast in the film “New York Beat,” which showcased the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the culture that surrounded it, of which Freddy was a part. Freddy also produced the film and composed all of the original music which can be heard in it.Freddy also managed to create a bridge between the art world and the hip-hop scene in New York. He was a regular guest on Glenn O’Brien’s public access show, “TV Party.” He also frequented the Mudd Club, a nightclub in the city featuring underground music of all kinds. In 1981, Freddy co-curated a graffiti-related arts show called Beyond Words which was held at the Mudd Club. The show featured Freddy’s work along with that of other artists like Futura 2000, Basquiat, Rammellzee, and Kenny Scharf. Given that many of the featured artists had one foot in both the art world and in the hip-hop and rap scene, the show attracted many individuals from both worlds to downtown New York City where they were able to interact. He can also be seen in the music video for the song “Rapture” by Blondie, which was the first hip-hop video to be shown on MTV. He is also mentioned in the video in the line “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly” which helped increase his name recognition in the world of pop culture.Over the next few years, Freddy himself got more involved with making music. He was featured on the 1982 single, “Change the Beat,” in which he rapped a verse in both English and French. At one point on the track, Freddy can be heard saying “Ahhhhh, this stuff is really fresh.” The line would go on to be sampled in over 750 hip-hop tracks in the future. The record led to Freddy recording four other records, all of which were first released in France in 1982. A tour through Europe followed called the “New York City Rap” tour. It featured Freddy along with artists like The Rock Steady Crew, Futura 2000, Phase Two, and Rammellzee, among others. Prior to the tour, American hip-hop music had not been played in France. The tour sparked the hip-hop movement there and helped France become a massive market for hip-hop music.In 1983, Freddy produced a hip-hop version of “Eisgukühlter Bommerlunder” called “Hip Hop Bommi Bop” in collaboration with the German punk rock band, Die Toten Hosen. The collaboration is said to be the first co-production of punk music and hip-hop.Freddy made his next big mark in 1988 when he became the first host of the MTV music video show, “Yo! MTV Raps.” The show quickly became the highest rated show on MTV and Freddy spent 10 years with the network. He continued appearing in film in television in the next decades. He appeared in an episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” in 2007 and also made a cameo appearance in “American Gangster” the same year. In 2008, he had a small role in “Rachel Getting Married.” He had a small role in the biopic about former President Barack Obama, “Barry,” in 2016 and then appeared in the seventh season of “Blue Bloods” in 2016.Freddy briefly served as the head of the independent label, Pallas records. While there, he signed, produced and created all of the visuals for Crucial Conflict, a rap group from Chicago. In 2019, Freddy served as creative director for the full-size hip-hop photography exhibit “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop.” The exhibit was based on the 2018 book of the same name created and written by Vikki Tobak. It was hosted at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The same year, Freddy’s film, “Grass is Greener,” was released on Netflix. The film is a documentary about the history of cannabis prohibition in the United States.Personal LifeFreddy does not divulge any information about his personal life to the public. It is only known that he has at least one daughter named Sparkle who graduated from high school in 2014.
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Lou Rawls’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What was Lou Rawls’ Net Worth?Lou Rawls was an American singer of jazz, blues and soul music who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Lou Rawls died of lung cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 72 years. During his career he released over 60 albums and sold more than 40 million records. Thanks to his smooth vocal style, he also served as a television, motion picture, and voice actor.Early LifeRawls was born on December 1, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised by his grandmother in the Ida B. Wells projects of the city’s South Side. When he was a boy, he began singing in the Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church choir. As he got older, he sang with other local groups. Through these groups, he met Sam Cooke and Curtis Mayfield, who would also go on to have successful careers in music. Rawls attended Dunbar Vocational High School and graduated in 1951.CareerAfter completing high school, Rawls sang with Sam Cooke in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a gospel group, as well as in the Holy Wonders. In 1951, he also began singing in the Highway QC’s, taking Cooke’s spot after he left to join The Soul Stirrers in Los Angeles. Rawls was soon after hired by the Chosen Gospel Singers and also moved to Los Angeles. There, he joined the Pilgrim Travelers.In 1955, Rawls enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He left the Army three years later as a Sergeant and rejoined the Pilgrim Travelers. In 1958, he was involved in a serious car accident, at which he was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital. He was in a coma for almost six days and then spent over a year recuperating and regaining his memory.SuccessHe began performing again in 1959. In 1962, he signed a contract with Capital Records and sang back-up vocals on two tracks written by Cooke – “Bring It On Home to Me” and “That’s Where It’s At.” He later recorded his own cover of “Bring It On Home to Me,” which made the charts in 1970.Rawls released the album “Stormy Monday,” a jazz album, in 1962. In the next couple of years, he released the albums “Black and Blue” and “Tobacco Road.” They both sold well and made the Billboard charts. In 1966, he released the album “Live!” which went on to receive gold-status certification. However, it was the album he released later that same year, “Soulin,” which made him a real star. The album featured the singles “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” and “Dead End Street.”In 1971, Rawls signed with MGM and shortly after released the single “Natural Man,” which became a commercial success. He again switched labels in 1974, signing with Bell Records, and then again in 1976 when he signed with Philadelphia International. On that label, he released “All Things in Time” which featured the single, “Another Love Like Mine.” This track became his biggest selling single, selling over a million copies and topping the charts.In 1977, he released the album “When You Hear Lou, You’ve Heard It All,” which featured the hit single, “Lady Love.” In 1980, he began the “Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon,” which benefitted the United Negro College Fund. In January of 2004, Rawls was honored by the Fund for all of the work he had done for the organization. The Fund organized a concert in which Stevie Wonder, Ashanti, and Gerald Levert performed for Rawls while he sat in the seat of honor. At the time of Rawls’s death in 2006, the telethon event had raised over $250 million for the Fund.Later CareerRawls continued releasing music steadily throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In addition to making music, he made a number of television and film appearances during his career. He appeared in the first season of “Sesame Street” and in the second season of “The Muppet Show.” He also acted in the Western television series, “The Big Valley.” He appeared in the film “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Blues Brothers 2000,” and “Angel, Angel, Down We Go.” In 1994, he played a supporting role in the independent film, “Lookin’ Italian” and also had a supporting role in “Baywatch Nights.” He also lent his voice to a number of cartoon characters in shows like “Hey Arnold!,” “Garfield,” “Captain Planet and the Planeteers,” and “The Proud Family.” Additionally, he was a longtime spokesperson for the Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company and appeared in a number of advertisements for Budweiser.Awards and HonorsOver the course of his career, Rawls received numerous awards and honors. In 1979, he won the AMA for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A few years later, in 1985, he was invited to sing the song “Wing Beneath My Wings” at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala commemorating the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan. Rawls won three Grammy awards, all for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In 2021, over a decade after his death, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.Personal Life and DeathRawls was married three times in his life. In 1963, he married Lana Jean Taylor. They remained together until their divorce in 1973. He later married a woman named Ceci in 1989. Their marriage lasted until 2003. He married his third wife, Nina, in 2004. Nina was a former flight attendant who later helped manage Rawls’s career. Rawls fathered two sons and two daughters over the course of his life.In December of 2005, it was announced that Rawls had lung cancer that had spread to his brain. He died from the illness on January 6, 2006 in Los Angeles. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
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Evgeni Malkin’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Evgeni Malkin’s Net Worth and Salary?Evgeni Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey player who has a net worth of $60 million. Evgeni Malkin is best known for his career in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the team, he won the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2017, and earned such prestigious awards as the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Trophy. Malkin has also played with his hometown club Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and has competed for the Russian national team at numerous World Championships and Winter Olympic Games.Early LifeEvgeni Malkin was born on July 31, 1986 in Magnitogorsk in what was then the Russian SFSR in the Soviet Union. His mother is Natalia, and his father is Vladimir, a former iron and steel worker and ice hockey player. He has an older brother named Denis. Malkin got into skating at the early age of three, and joined his first organized hockey league just two years later.Career BeginningsMalkin began his professional ice hockey career playing for the junior and senior teams of his hometown club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He also made his debut on the Russian international team, winning the bronze medal at the 2003 U18 World Championships.Pittsburgh PenguinsIn the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Malkin was drafted second overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, his debut for the team was delayed due to a transfer dispute between the NHL and the IIHF involving his obligations to his Russian team. After the dispute was cleared up – and following a dislocated shoulder in the preseason – Malkin finally made his NHL debut in October of 2006. He went on to immediately establish himself as a formidable player, setting a modern NHL record by scoring a goal in each of his first six games. Malkin concluded his rookie season with 33 goals and 85 points, earning him the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top rookie of the year. He had continued success in his sophomore season, scoring his first NHL hat-trick and coming in second place for the Art Ross Trophy. Moreover, the Penguins made it to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009 in a rematch with the Red Wings; this time, they won. Malkin received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs and also claimed his first Art Ross Trophy.Malkin was sidelined for the majority of the 2010-11 season due to a torn ACL and MCL and resulting surgery. He came back incredibly strong the following season, scoring 50 goals for the first time in his career and winning the Hart Trophy as the MVP of the NHL. Due to the 2012-13 NHL lockout, Malkin made a return to Russia to play for Magnitogorsk, where he remained for most of the season. Coming back to the US for the end of the NHL season, he helped lead the Penguins to the playoffs. He and the team made it to another playoffs in 2014. Malkin had two of his greatest seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17, leading the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles. Later, in 2019, he reached a milestone when he scored his 1,000th NHL point.Career EarningsDuring his NHL career so far, Evgeni Malkin earned $126 million in total salary. As of this writing that makes him the fifth highest-earning hockey player in NHL history.International CareerBeyond the NHL, Malkin has been prolific on the international ice hockey stage as part of the Russian national team. After his debut and bronze medal at the 2003 World U18 Championships, he captained his team to a gold medal at the 2004 World U18 Championships. Also in 2004, Malkin debuted at the World Junior Championships. The next year, he led Russia to a silver at the World Junior Championships, and to a bronze at the World Championships. Malkin went on to pull triple duty in 2006, competing in the World Junior Championships, the World Championships, and the Winter Olympics, winning a silver at the former. In 2007, he claimed bronze at the World Championships. Malkin won further medals at the World Championships in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2019, including two golds. He also competed with the Russian team at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014.Personal LifeIn late 2015, Malkin got engaged to Russian television personality Anna Kasterova. The couple had a son in the spring of 2016.Evgeni Malkin owns a restaurant in his hometown of Magnitogorsk. The inside of the establishment is designed to resemble a prison.
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