Bert Convy
Encyclopedia
Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an Emmy Award winning American actor
, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales
, Super Password
, and Win, Lose or Draw
.
, Missouri
, the son of Monica (née Whalen) and Bert Fleming Convy. Convy was a member of the 1950s vocal band, The Cheers
, who had a Top 10 hit in 1955 with "Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots
". He was also a minor league baseball
player, within the Philadelphia Phillies
organization.
of the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in the 1961 Warner Brothers drama Susan Slade, playing Troy Donahue
's rival for the affections of Connie Stevens
. Convy went on to became a Broadway
actor, starring in Fiddler on the Roof
(1964), The Impossible Years
(1965), and Cabaret
(1966). He also appeared in the Roger Corman
film A Bucket of Blood
, playing Lou Raby; and the soap opera Love of Life
, playing Glenn Hamilton, a rapist.
, To Tell the Truth
, The Match Game
and Password. He soon took the podium himself as host of several game shows, including the fourth edition of Password, Super Password
(1984–1989), but he remains best known for his first television game show, Tattletales
(1974–1978, 1982–1984), for which he was awarded an Emmy
for Best Game Show Host in 1977.
He also hosted the first two seasons of the syndicated version of Win, Lose or Draw
(1987–1989), which he co-produced with Burt Reynolds
(under the firm Burt and Bert Productions). The third and final season (1989-1990) of Win, Lose or Draw was hosted by Robb Weller
, freeing up Convy to host his last game show (which he also produced), 3rd Degree
, a syndicated
program that ran during the 1989–90 TV season. He was going to host the 1990 revival of Match Game
, but he was too ill to do so; comedian and Love Me, Love Me Not host Ross Shafer
took the role instead.
's short-lived ABC
sitcom, Harrigan and Son
as well as guest-starring on the ABC
private detective show 77 Sunset Strip
in the role of David Todd.
He attempted to parlay his fame in a short-lived variety series, The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show in 1976. In 1979, he appeared with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
in a movie of the same name.
Convy also starred in several movies, most memorably in the film Semi-Tough
(1977) where he played a caricature of Werner Erhard
named "Friedrich Bismark." He starred in French director Philippe de Broca
's Les Caprices de Marie (Give Her the Moon, 1970). In 1979, he starred in the movie Racquet, as a tennis star. He also made a fine appearance in Help Wanted: Male (1982). In addition, he directed the 1986 comedy Weekend Warriors
. In 1980, Convy produced and directed the Goodspeed Opera House premiere of the musical Zapata, music and lyrics by Harry Nilsson
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
, libretto by Allan Katz
. Convy's final feature film was the 1981 movie Cannonball Run
, in which he played a character named Bradford Compton. He also appeared in episodes of three CBS series, Perry Mason
starring Raymond Burr
, Hawaii Five-O
starring Jack Lord
, and The New Phil Silvers Show
, with comedian
Phil Silvers
, and starred in the premiere episode of Fantasy Island
with Ricardo Montalban
, and had a supporting role in the pilot episode of "Murder, She Wrote
" with Angela Lansbury
.
after collapsing while visiting his mother. It was there that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor
, and was given a short time to live, resulting in the relinquishing of his planned Match Game 90 role. After seeking many treatments from several hospitals, Convy died from the tumor on July 15, 1991, 8 days before what would have been his 58th birthday. His remains are buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
, Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password are American game shows that are revivals of the game show Password. Both Password Plus and Super Password had the same format other than some subtle changes....
, and Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various times...
.
Early life
Convy was born in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, the son of Monica (née Whalen) and Bert Fleming Convy. Convy was a member of the 1950s vocal band, The Cheers
The Cheers
The Cheers were an American rock and roll vocal group, that had a string of hits in the mid 1950s starting with " I Need Your Lovin'." which hit number fifteen on the U.S. chart in 1954...
, who had a Top 10 hit in 1955 with "Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots
Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots
"Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" is a popular teenage tragedy song that was a top-ten hit for The Cheers in the fall of 1955. It went to #6 on the Billboard Best Selling singles chart...
". He was also a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
player, within the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organization.
Early career
Convy started his career in the entertainment business as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes RevuesBilly Barnes (composer)
Billy Barnes is a composer and lyricist from Los Angeles, California. His hit songs include " Too Long at the Fair" recorded by Barbra Streisand , and "Something Cool", recorded by jazz vocalist June Christy...
of the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in the 1961 Warner Brothers drama Susan Slade, playing Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue was an American actor, who was active between the late 1950s and late 1990s.-Life and career:...
's rival for the affections of Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
. Convy went on to became a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actor, starring in Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
(1964), The Impossible Years
The Impossible Years
The Impossible Years is a 1965 comedy play by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx, son of famed comedian Groucho Marx.The comedy revolves around Jonathan Kingsley, a teaching psychiatrist at the local university, his wife, and their two teenaged daughters...
(1965), and Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
(1966). He also appeared in the Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
film A Bucket of Blood
A Bucket of Blood
A Bucket of Blood is a 1959 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. It starred Dick Miller and was set in beatnik culture. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days, and shares many of the low-budget filmmaking aesthetics commonly associated with Corman's work....
, playing Lou Raby; and the soap opera Love of Life
Love of Life
Love of Life is an American soap opera which aired on CBS Daytime from September 24, 1951 to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation Search for Tomorrow had premiered three weeks before Love of Life, and who would go on to create The Secret Storm two and a half years...
, playing Glenn Hamilton, a rapist.
Game show career
In the 1960s and 1970s, Convy was a popular semi-regular panelist on several game shows, including What's My Line?What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
, The Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
and Password. He soon took the podium himself as host of several game shows, including the fourth edition of Password, Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password are American game shows that are revivals of the game show Password. Both Password Plus and Super Password had the same format other than some subtle changes....
(1984–1989), but he remains best known for his first television game show, Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
(1974–1978, 1982–1984), for which he was awarded an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Best Game Show Host in 1977.
He also hosted the first two seasons of the syndicated version of Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various times...
(1987–1989), which he co-produced with Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
(under the firm Burt and Bert Productions). The third and final season (1989-1990) of Win, Lose or Draw was hosted by Robb Weller
Robb Weller
Robb Weller is an American game show host and television personality and producer .He hosted Entertainment Tonight from 1984 to 1989. He currently appears as the co-anchor of FOX 11 Sunday Morning News with Gina Silva at KTTV in Los Angeles...
, freeing up Convy to host his last game show (which he also produced), 3rd Degree
3rd Degree (game show)
3rd Degree is an American game show that aired in syndication from September 11, 1989 to June 8, 1990 . The series was hosted by Bert Convy, while Bob Hilton served as announcer...
, a syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
program that ran during the 1989–90 TV season. He was going to host the 1990 revival of Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, but he was too ill to do so; comedian and Love Me, Love Me Not host Ross Shafer
Ross Shafer
Ross Shafer is a comedian and television host turned motivational and customer service speaker/trainer, based in Carlsbad, California. Although he now splits time in Nashville, Tennessee, where his wife Leah has an aspiring singing career.-Biography:Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in...
took the role instead.
Television and films
In the 1960-1961 season, Convy guest starred on Pat O'BrienPat O'Brien (actor)
Pat O’Brien was an American film actor with more than one hundred screen credits.-Early life:O’Brien was born William Joseph Patrick O’Brien to an Irish-American Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as an altar boy at Gesu Church while growing up near 13th and Clybourn streets...
's short-lived ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom, Harrigan and Son
Harrigan and Son
Harrigan and Son is an ABC sitcom about a father-and-son team of lawyers, played by Pat O'Brien and Roger Perry as Jim Harrigan, Sr., and Jim, Jr. In supporting roles, as secretaries, are Georgine Darcy as Gypsy and Helen Kleeb as Miss Claridge. The series aired 34 episodes at 8 p.m. Eastern Time...
as well as guest-starring on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
private detective show 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
in the role of David Todd.
He attempted to parlay his fame in a short-lived variety series, The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show in 1976. In 1979, he appeared with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys.- 1960s :The original cheerleading squad was a made up of a male-female group called the CowBelles & Beaux. The group made its sidelines debut in 1960 during the Cowboys' inaugural...
in a movie of the same name.
Convy also starred in several movies, most memorably in the film Semi-Tough
Semi-Tough
Semi-Tough is a 1977 film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Lotte Lenya, Bert Convy, and Brian Dennehy. The plot involves a love triangle between the characters portrayed by Reynolds, Kristofferson and Clayburgh...
(1977) where he played a caricature of Werner Erhard
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
named "Friedrich Bismark." He starred in French director Philippe de Broca
Philippe de Broca
Philippe de Broca was a French film director.Born Philippe Claude Alex de Broca de Ferrussac in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, the son of a photographer of noble origins. de Broca was a cinephile from an early age, and he studied at the l'École technique de photographie et de cinématographie...
's Les Caprices de Marie (Give Her the Moon, 1970). In 1979, he starred in the movie Racquet, as a tennis star. He also made a fine appearance in Help Wanted: Male (1982). In addition, he directed the 1986 comedy Weekend Warriors
Weekend Warriors (film)
Weekend Warriors is a 1986 film directed by Bert Convy. An alternative title is Hollywood Airforce.-Cast:...
. In 1980, Convy produced and directed the Goodspeed Opera House premiere of the musical Zapata, music and lyrics by Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr. is an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. He had a successful career in music for over forty years. As an arranger, he worked with Bobby Darin, Harry Nilsson, The Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others...
, libretto by Allan Katz
Allan Katz
Allan Katz, born in Chicago, is a writer, producer, actor, and director.He began his writing career as an advertising copywriter. In 1970 he created the original award-winning campaign for the popcorn snack Screaming Yellow Zonkers which was the first major product to be packaged in a predominantly...
. Convy's final feature film was the 1981 movie Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run may refer to:* Erwin Baker's 1933 NYC to LA drive* Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race, memorializing Erwin Baker's drive.* Films inspired by the race;...
, in which he played a character named Bradford Compton. He also appeared in episodes of three CBS series, Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
starring Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
starring Jack Lord
Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,...
, and The New Phil Silvers Show
The New Phil Silvers Show
The New Phil Silvers Show is an American situation comedy starring comedian Phil Silvers which aired thirty episodes on CBS from September 28, 1963, to April 25, 1964, under the sponsorship of General Foods.-Synopsis:...
, with comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
, and starred in the premiere episode of Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
with Ricardo Montalban
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
, and had a supporting role in the pilot episode of "Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
" with Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
.
Personal life
Convy was married twice: to Anne Anderson, with whom he had three children; and to Catherine Hills, whom he wed five months prior to his death. Bert's daughter Jennifer also has been involved in television, moderating shows on Home and Garden Television (HGTV). His youngest son, Jonah Convy, is also involved in show business. His eldest son, Joshua Convy, is an accountant.Death
In April 1990, Convy was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterCedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...
after collapsing while visiting his mother. It was there that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, and was given a short time to live, resulting in the relinquishing of his planned Match Game 90 role. After seeking many treatments from several hospitals, Convy died from the tumor on July 15, 1991, 8 days before what would have been his 58th birthday. His remains are buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
.