Happy Birthday wishes go out to Bob Barker who turns 85 years old today. Robert William Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, but moved to Springfield, Mo. when he was eight years old. He graduated from Central H.S. and went on to Drury College on a basketball scholarship. He graduated from Drury College, summa cum laude, with a degree in economics after a brief interruption to become a fighter pilot in WWII. In 1945, Bob married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jo Gideon, and they were married for 36 years until she died in 1981. They didn't have any children.


Bob Barker started out as the host of the game show, "Truth or Consequences" in 1956. He hosted the show from 1956 until 1975. He ended each show with a salute and the phrase, "Bob Barker saying good-bye, hoping all your consequences are happy ones!"

Bob Barker became the hose of the game show, "The Price is Right" in 1972. He hosted the show from 1972 until his final episode on June 6, 2007. He was also Executive Producer of the show from 1988 until 2007.

Bob Barker won 19 Emmy Awards, including 14 for "Outstanding Game Show Host", four for Executive Producer of the Price is Right, and the "Lifetime Achievement Award for Daytime Television" in 1999. Bob Barker was also inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame and the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Bob Barker is well known for his work in animal rights. He became a vegetarian in 1979. He began to end his show each day with the phrase, "Help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered" in 1985.