Vanna White
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Vanna Marie White (née Rosich; born February 18, 1957)<ref name=biography.com>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American television personality and game show personality. She is best known as the co-host of the game show Wheel of Fortune, a position she has held since 1982. She began her career as a model while studying fashion, competing in Miss Georgia USA in 1978. In addition to her work on Wheel of Fortune, she has played minor characters or appeared as herself in many films and television series, and is the author of the 1987 autobiography Vanna Speaks. She also participates in real-estate investment, owns the yarn brand Vanna's Choice, and is a patron of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Early life
Vanna Marie Rosich was born on February 18, 1957, near North Myrtle Beach in Horry County, South Carolina.<ref>Almanac of Famous People, Gale Publishing, June 8, 2011.</ref> She is the daughter of Joan Marie (Nicholas) and Miguel Angel Rosich.<ref name=rodríguez2013>Template:Cite news</ref> According to census records, her paternal (Rosich) second great-grandparents were Spanish immigrants from Mallorca who settled in Ponce, Puerto Rico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When Vanna was an infant, her parents divorced. She was raised by her mother Joan and by Joan's second husband, Herbert White Jr. (1925–2022), a former real estate broker,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in North Myrtle Beach.<ref name=biography.com /> Vanna took White's surname. After graduating from high school, White moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended the Atlanta School of Fashion and Design and worked as a model.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> White headed to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue an acting career, but in the summer of 1980, she returned briefly to South Carolina to see her mother, who was dying of ovarian cancer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
Television, motion picture, and other media appearances
Before her appearance on TV, White was a contestant in the Miss Georgia USA 1978 pageant.<ref>Template:YouTube</ref>
White's first appearance on a game show was on the June 20, 1980 episode of The Price Is Right, where she was among the first four contestants.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref><ref>Template:YouTube</ref> White did not make it on stage, but the clip of her running to Contestants' Row was rebroadcast as part of The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Special in August 1996<ref>Template:YouTube</ref> and The Price Is Right Celebrates 50 Years in September 2021 (in which she also appeared as a Guest Model during the show), and also was featured on the special broadcast Game Show Moments Gone Bananas.
In 1980, White acted in a film that was not completed; it was subsequently edited and released in June 1990 as Gypsy Angels.<ref>Template:YouTube</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1981, she got a bit part in the film Looker and also appeared as Doris in the horror movie Graduation Day, an American slasher film directed by Herb Freed and produced by Troma Entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White's 1987 autobiography, Vanna Speaks!, was a best-seller.<ref>"About New York", The New York Times, May 23, 1987.</ref> That same year, she was featured in a Playboy pictorial,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> showing photos taken of her before her career on Wheel of Fortune, wearing see-through lingerie.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> White starred as the title character, Venus, in the 1988 television movie Goddess of Love.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White has made cameo appearances on television shows such as L.A. Law,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 227,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Super Mario Bros. Super Show,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Simon and Simon,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The King of Queens,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Full House,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in films such as [[Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult|Naked Gun Template:Frac: The Final Insult]] (1994) Double Dragon (1994) and the Australian variety series Hey Hey It's Saturday.
White guest-starred on Married...With Children; in a gender swap parody of the film Indecent Proposal, she had the Robert Redford role while Al Bundy had that of Demi Moore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> White served as guest timekeeper and provided interviews from the backstage area throughout the evening for WrestleMania IV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1996, she was the main narrator and singer in the CD release of Leslie Bricusse's "Santa's Last Ride."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On April 20, 2006, White was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Pat Sajak, Merv Griffin, and Alex Trebek as key witnesses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White lent her voice to the Canadian animated television special The Real Story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the American animated television series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White presented a set of luggage in a special guest appearance on The Price Is Right Celebrates 50 Years in September 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In May 2022, White appeared as a special guest in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars where the contestants did a runway in tribute to her past looks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On April 21, 2023, it was announced that White would be featured in a four-episode documentary by ABC News titled The Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America over the last eight decades. The four-part documentary premiered on May 10, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wheel of Fortune television game show
After Wheel of Fortune co-host Susan Stafford left in October 1982, White was selected as one of three substitutes (along with Vicki McCarty and Summer Bartholomew) to co-host the show.<ref name=newhost>Template:Cite web</ref> On December 13, 1982, White became the regular co-host.<ref name=newhost /><ref>Template:YouTube</ref>
White temporarily took over hosting Wheel of Fortune as master of ceremonies starting with the week of episodes that were slated to air starting on December 9, 2019. The announcement was made after a taping day was postponed when Sajak was hospitalized with a blocked intestine and needed emergency surgery to clear it. White hosted that taping day and the subsequent rescheduled taping the next day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Guest letter activators were implemented during her shows hosting; the weeks of December 9 and 16 had Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> during the Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Subsequently, the show went on hiatus during Christmas week (December 23, 2019) and then a week of previously taped "America's Game" episodes (Wheel tapes six episodes per day, with each studio audience receiving three shows each; the third show in the afternoon session is an "America's Game" episode) that Sajak hosted, before White returned to hosting on January 6, 2020, for a final week; she was assisted by a "special guest",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pat Sajak's daughter Maggie.<ref name=sajakback>Template:Cite web</ref> Fully recovered from his surgery, Sajak returned to the show on December 5, 2019, with episodes airing on January 13, 2020.<ref name=sajakback />
White missed filming five episodes in August 2023 after contracting COVID-19. She was temporarily replaced by Bridgette Donald-Blue but returned in October 2023. Filming on additional episodes was delayed until after her recovery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This marked the first time that White had missed an episode since 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Since 2021, White hosted Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC with Sajak and later Ryan Seacrest beginning in September 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later in the year it was announced that both Sajak and White had been signed on to continue as hosts of Wheel of Fortune through the 2023–24 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She extended her contract on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune again in July 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2023, White extended her contract as host of Wheel of Fortune through the 2025–26 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In May 2023, White competed as a contestant on a celebrity edition of Wheel of Fortune against Jeopardy! hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. With her competing, Maggie Sajak filled in for White at the puzzle board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Real-estate investing
White uses her income to invest in apartment buildings, and she likes flipping houses. In 2017, White listed her Beverly Hills home for $47.5 million.<ref name=gh>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, she began renting her home in Sherman Oaks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Crochet and knitting endorsements
When White was five, her grandmother taught her how to crochet. White had lost interest in the hobby over time, until on the Wheel of Fortune set, she noticed her pregnant hairdresser was crocheting a baby blanket for herself. White told her that she previously crocheted and asked the hairdresser to help her relearn crochet.<ref>Template:YouTube</ref> When she has downtime on the set, White often crochets, as she finds it very relaxing and has something to show for the time she has spent doing it.<ref name=etsy>Template:Cite web</ref>
White began her relationship with Lion Brand Yarns when she spoke about her love of crochet on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson;<ref>Template:YouTube</ref> the yarn company subsequently contacted her and negotiated a contract.<ref name=etsy /> White has her own line of yarn called Vanna's Choice<ref name=gh /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and endorses crochet and knitting books published in her name.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
World record
White is famous for her seamless revealing of letters on the game board, her smile, and her constant clapping in support of each episode's contestants.<ref name=worldrecord /> On the May 24, 2013 episode of Wheel of Fortune,<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> White was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate for most frequent clapper. As of January 31, 2013, she had clapped an estimated 3,480,864 times across the show's 30 seasons. White had appeared in all but 10 of WheelTemplate:'s 5,754 episodes to that point, during the show's modern syndicated run, which began on September 19, 1983. That works out to an average number of 606 claps per show.<ref name=worldrecord>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MFloss">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In the 1980s, White dated and became engaged to soap opera actor John Gibson, a Playgirl magazine centerfold and Chippendales dancer. However, Gibson died in a 1986 airplane crash. In 1990, White married restaurant owner George Santo Pietro.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She first became pregnant in September 1992. An episode of Wheel of Fortune contained "Vanna's pregnant" as the answer to a puzzle. She miscarried shortly after the episode's taping.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> White gave birth to a son, Nicholas, on June 11, 1994<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a daughter, Giovanna, on July 1, 1997<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> from her marriage to Santo Pietro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple divorced in November 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2004 to 2006, she was engaged to Southern California businessman Michael Kaye. The two never wed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2012, White has been in a relationship with contractor John Donaldson, whom she met through mutual friends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White is a Baptist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White is sometimes described as the "niece" of actor Christopher George.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> While George is not a biological relation, White's mother grew up with him, and George and his wife took White "under their wing" in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In an interview with Larry King, White said that her children often come to Wheel of Fortune tapings.<ref name=":0" />
Philanthropy
As of 2019, White has donated $1.8 million to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and plans to continue her philanthropy after her retirement.<ref name=gh />
Litigation
In 1993, White sued Samsung Electronics over an advertisement featuring a robot turning letters on a game show, alleging a violation of her personality rights. The lower court's decision in Samsung's favor was reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,<ref name="samsung">Template:Cite web</ref> which denied a rehearing, but Judge Alex Kozinski issued a dissent.<ref name="samsung" /> The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari.<ref name="samsung" /> A jury awarded White $403,000 in damages.<ref name="damages">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In popular culture
- Parody song "Vanna, Pick Me a Letter" (a riff on Wayne Carson's "The Letter") was released by David Kolin (aka Dr. Dave) in 1987.<ref>"Vanna, Pick Me a Letter" by Dr. Dave retrieved 10-5-2023</ref>
- The second track of "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1988 album, Even Worse, features the song "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White".
- The 2001 Nelly single "Ride wit Me", mentions White with the lyrics "I'm getting pages out of New Jersey from Courtney B. Telling me bout a party up in NYC. And can I make it? Damn right, I be on the next flight, paying cash, first class, sitting next to Vanna White…"
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Graduation Day | Doris |
| Looker | Reston Girl | |
| 1994 | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult | Herself |
| Double Dragon |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Midnight Offerings | Devona | TV Movie |
| 1982–present | Wheel of Fortune | Co-Host | |
| 1988 | Goddess of Love | Venus | TV Movie |
| 1988 | Totally Minnie | Herself | TV Special |
| 1989 | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | Roxanne | Live Action Segment |
| 1992 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Laurie Saunders (Voice) | The Guinea Pigs (Season 3, Episode 7) |
| 1993 | Married... with Children | Coco/Helen Granowinner | Guest (season 7, episode 26) |
| 1994 | Full House | Herself | Guest (Season 7, Episode 15) |
| 2021–present | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Co-Host | Contestant (Season 3, Episode 14) |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 7 | Herself | Guest (season 7, episode 3) |
Publications
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Notes
References
External links
Template:Wikiquote Template:Commons category Template:Wikisource
- Template:IMDb name
- Vanna White's biography Template:Webarchive on wheeloffortune.com
- Judge Alex Kozinski's dissent in the White v. Samsung Electronics appeal
- Template:EmmyTVLegends name
- Pages with broken file links
- 1957 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American women
- 20th-century Baptists
- 21st-century American women
- 21st-century Baptists
- American people of Puerto Rican descent
- American women philanthropists
- American women television personalities
- Baptists from South Carolina
- Contestants on American game shows
- Game show models
- Mass media people from South Carolina
- People from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- People from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Philanthropists from South Carolina
- Wheel of Fortune (franchise)
- American people of Spanish descent
- Hispanic and Latino American women
- Crochet