Which Game Show Staples Are Still Alive?

By Scott Harris Posted Oct 23rd 2009 03:50PM

Yesterday, the television world was saddened to learn of the death of comic legend Soupy Sales, who passed away at the age of 83. For many fans, though, the news was especially surprising for one simple reason: they thought he was already dead.

As Sales proved, being out of the public eye doesn't always mean you're gone for good. Here is a little something to brighten this otherwise sad occasion: our list of comic legends and game show regulars who are still alive and kicking.

Sid Caesar was born on September 8, 1922, and pioneered television comedy with his variety series 'Your Show of Shows'. He's been mostly retired for the past decade, with his only two projects being the Nickelodeon movie 'Globehunters', which came out in 2000, and a cameo in the 2004 mockumentary 'Comic Book: The Movie'.

Jonathan Winters, who has appeared in dozens of film and television projects since 1955, is probably best known to today's audiences for his role as Robin Williams' son on 'Mork & Mindy'. Born on November 11, 1925, Winters last appeared on screen in 'National Lampoon Presents Cattle Call' in 2006.

For nearly 60 years, Phyllis Diller has been breaking ground as one of the first women in stand-up and has brought her act to hundreds of movies and television shows. These days she mostly does voice work, such as her recurring role as Peter Griffin's mom on 'Family Guy', which isn't bad for a nonagenarian; Diller, who was born on July 17, 1917, recently celebrated her 92nd birthday.

Before he rose to superstardom as host of 'Family Feud', Richard Dawson had a long and successful career on shows such as 'Match Game' and 'Hogan's Heroes'. Other than a brief stint as guest host on the 'Feud' revival in the mid-90's, however, Dawson, who was born on November 20, 1932, has mostly remained retired since famously lampooning his own career in the classic 1987 action movie 'The Running Man'.

Thanks to the acerbic wit he showcased in numerous appearances as a stand-up and talk show guest, Don Rickles earned the nicknames "Mr. Warmth" and "The Merchant of Venom". Born on May 8, 1926, Rickles is still going strong; besides his continuing late night presence, his voice work as Mr. Potato Head can be heard in next year's 'Toy Story 3'.

Born on June 3, 1929, Chuck Barris was once best known as creator and host of the off-the-wall variety competition 'The Gong Show'. These days, though, Barris is probably best remembered as the inspiration for the 2002 film 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'. Playing himself is hard enough work it seems, as Barris hasn't had any other projects for over 20 years.

For years, people have wondered: is Wink Martindale a real name? Now it can be revealed: born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1934, Wink was given the nickname as a youth. The legendary game show host still occasionally makes appearances on television, including guest stints on 'Hollywood Squares' and '1 vs. 100' earlier this decade.

Stand-up icon Jackie Mason, who was born back on June 9, 1931, is one of the few remaining comedians from the circuit once known as the Borscht Belt. While Mason still does some acting, including voice work for an episode of 'The Drinky Crow Show' earlier this year, he now spends most of his energy on the internet posting various monologues and political rants on YouTube. Just like the rest of us.

Like many of the other deans of comedy on our list, Shecky Greene, who has been appearing in film and television shows since the mid-50's, nowadays usually appears onscreen only as himself. However, Greene, who was born back on April 8, 1926, is the only one of his peers who can claim 'Hip Hop Hold 'Em' among his recent credits.

Mustachioed game show gadfly Rip Taylor was born on January 13, 1934 and has long lived two lives; while he is best known as a famous television comedian, he also has secretly been living his life as a cartoon voice over expert. In addition to occasionally appearing as himself in projects such as 2006's 'Jackass Number Two', he continues to provide voices for animated shows such as 'The Emperor's New School'.

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