Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel is a Canadian comedian, actor, and game show host, widely recognized for his role as the host of NBC's popular game show, Deal or No Deal. Born on November 29, 1955, in Toronto, Mandel initially worked in carpet sales before pursuing a career in entertainment. His breakout moment came during an amateur night at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, leading to his appearance on the comedy show Make Me Laugh. Mandel gained significant acclaim for his six-season role as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the drama series St. Elsewhere, earning multiple Emmy nominations.
In addition to his television work, Mandel has had a successful film career, featuring in movies like Gremlins, where he voiced the character Gizmo, and he created the animated series Bobby's World. His hosting career expanded with roles in various reality shows, including America's Got Talent and Howie Do It. Mandel has openly discussed his battles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mysophobia in his 2009 autobiography. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Terry Soil, since 1980, and they have three children together.
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Howie Mandel
Actor
- Born: November 29, 1955
- Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario
Contribution: Howie Mandel is a Canadian comedian, game show host, and actor, best known as the host of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) show Deal or No Deal. He has won recognition for his work in film and television.
Early Life and Career
Howie Michael Mandel II was born on November 29, 1955, in Toronto, where he worked for some time in carpet sales.
Mandel began his career in show business while on a business trip to Los Angeles. His friends encouraged him to perform at the Comedy Store’s amateur night, where he was spotted by a producer who asked him to appear on the comedy show Make Me Laugh. Mandel’s early ventures into the world of entertainment also included shows in Las Vegas as well as television appearances.
He broke into mainstream television in 1982 when he appeared as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the television drama series St. Elsewhere. Mandel worked on the show for six seasons, earning a number of Emmy Award nominations for acting and endearing himself to fans.
Mandel also starred in a number of films, including A Fine Mess (1986), Walk Like a Man (1987), and Little Monsters (1989), but none of these films proved to be particularly successful. He did find some success as the voice of Gizmo in the comedy horror film Gremlins in 1984 and its 1990 sequel.
Further success followed in 1990 when Mandel wrote, produced, and provided the voices for the characters on the Fox Television Network children’s cartoon series Bobby’s World. The show, which ran for eight seasons, was subsequently syndicated and appeared in more than sixty-five countries around the world. Mandel also appeared on various television talk shows, including regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a stand-up comedian, and later hosted his own show, The Howie Mandel Show.
In 2005, Mandel found mainstream success and recognition as the host of the prime-time game show Deal or No Deal (he also hosts Deal or No Deal Canada). He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2008 in the category Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program. The show ran for four seasons on prime-time television, and a syndicated version moved to daytime television.
Mandel signed on as a judge for the reality television competition America’s Got Talent during the show’s fifth season in 2010. In addition, he served as the host of the comedy reality series Howie Do It, which ran for one season on NBC in 2009 (and which also ran on the Global Television channel in Canada), and hosted Mobbed, another reality program which debuted on the Fox network in 2011. He has made guest appearances on television series such as My Name is Earl and Monk. He continued to do voice work on several projects, including the 2020 video game Howie Go Viral and the short film Back Home Again. In 2022, he returned to game show hosting for the Netflix trivia show Bullsh*t: The Game Show. The show aired for one ten-episode season.
In 2009, Mandel released a comic autobiography called Here's the Deal: Don’t Touch Me, in which he humorously describes coping with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mysophobia (an irrational fear of germs).
Personal Life
Mandel married his high school sweetheart, Terry Soil, in 1980. They have two daughters and one son.
Bibliography
“About.” Howie Mandel. Howie Mandel, 2012. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.
Buchanan, Jason. “Howie Mandel: Biography.” AllMovie. All Media Network, 2013. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.
Dickson, EJ. "‘Bullsh*t’ Is the Perfect Game Show for Our Stupid Times." Rolling Stone, 5 May 2022, www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/bullshit-netflix-game-show-review-1347413/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
Haddad, Jessica, Eric M. Strauss, and David Muir. “Germs: No Deal Host Howie Mandel.” ABC News. ABC News, 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.
“Howie Mandel.” IMDb. IMDb.com, 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2024.
Mandel, Howie. Interview by Chet Cooper. Ability Magazine. Ability Magazine, June/July 2011. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.