Pat Finn (game show host)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Finn (born July 24, 1956) is an American television presenter and game show host. He is the owner of the production company Rubicon Entertainment. Finn's first national gig was hosting the 1990 remake of the classic Jack Barry show The Joker's Wild. In 1991, he became host of Shop 'til You Drop, the #1 rated cable game show in America at the time, where he remained for 11 years, and from 1999–2009 he became the host of the California State Lottery's weekly game show, The Big Spin.[1]
Pat Finn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patrick Joseph Finn July 24, 1956 |
| Occupation | Game show host/TV presenter/Producer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Finn was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the first of five sons also born to William and Celia Mae Finn, who was a Sunday School teacher and a telephone operator. Finn attended James M. Coughlin High School, from which he graduated in 1974. Prior to entering national television, Finn was a local weatherman, first on WBRE (Channel 28) in Wilkes-Barre, PA; WPXI (Channel 11) in Pittsburgh, where he also served as an entertainment correspondent; KPNX (Channel 12) in Phoenix; and KRON (Channel 4) in San Francisco.
In the mid-1980s, while in Phoenix, Finn also hosted Finn and Friends, a number one-rated local variety show that aired weeknights after the local news.
In 1989, Finn was one of six individuals who auditioned for the hosting duties on the then-CBS daytime version of Wheel of Fortune. Bob Goen ultimately got the job.[2]
In the 1990s, Finn formed his own production company, Rubicon Entertainment (formerly InFinnIty Productions). He's since been the creator and Executive Producer of TV shows for NBC, Lifetime, MTV, VH1, FX, GSN and The Hub.
Finn is also Executive Producer of Results Producers, a leading Direct Response production company.
Finn is very active in his church, the Agape International Spiritual Center and has helped raise over $5 million for charities, including his favorite, The US Foundation For the Children of Haiti at Hope Hospital in Port-au-Prince.
Finn has twin daughters, Sienna Mae and Sofia Rae, born on February 7, 2008. He also has a son Corey (born in 1989) and a daughter Kaitlyn (born in 1993).
References
- "1999 Annual Report California Lottery Report To The Public" (PDF). California State Lottery. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-11.
- Baber, David. Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008, page 92.
External links
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Cullen |
Host of The Joker's Wild 1990-1991 |
Succeeded by Snoop Dogg |
| Preceded by None |
Host of Shop 'til You Drop 1991-1994; 1996-1998; 2000-2002 |
Succeeded by JD Roberto |
| Preceded by Jack Gallagher |
Host of The Big Spin January 2, 1999-January 10, 2009 |
Succeeded by Defunct |