Editing Johnny Gilbert (section)

==Career==
===Stage and early television career===
A few years after graduating from high school, Gilbert resided in Florida for three months working as an [[emcee]], during which he received on-the-job training and learned to walk on stage, speak in front of a public crowd, and tell jokes and stories.<ref name= officialbio/>

The [[Dead End Kids]], a group comprising young actors such as [[Leo Gorcey]], [[Huntz Hall]], and [[Gabriel Dell]], were organizing a revue. Gilbert joined the group and played throughout the southwestern United States for 16 weeks.<ref name="Milwaukee Sentinel" /> When they played in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], Virginia, Gilbert got special billing.<ref name= officialbio/>

In the 1950s, Gilbert joined the [[United States Army]]'s [[Seventh United States Army|Seventh Army]] [[Special Services (entertainment)|Special Services]] in [[Germany]],<ref name="jeopardycom">[https://www.jeopardy.com/sites/default/files/files/press-release/2018-08/johnny-gilbert-gwr.pdf VOICE OF ‘JEOPARDY!’ JOHNNY GILBERT EARNS GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ TITLE FOR LONGEST CAREER AS A GAME SHOW ANNOUNCER FOR THE SAME SHOW.] [[Jeopardy!|Jeopardy.com]]. Retrieved May 24, 2021.</ref> and was cast as the lead in ''[[Xanadu: The Marco Polo Musical]]'', an original [[musical comedy]] inspired in part by the [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] poem ''[[Kubla Khan]]'', which chronicles [[Marco Polo]]'s trip to China. The company toured throughout Western Europe, performing for servicemen and civilians alike.<ref name="Milwaukee Sentinel" />

After resigning from the service and returning to the U.S., Gilbert continued singing and hosting in clubs.<ref name="Milwaukee Sentinel" /> One day, a manager of a well-known group in Philadelphia asked Gilbert if he was interested in auditioning for television.<ref name= officialbio/> He said yes, and received his first television assignment as a singer and emcee on [[WDSU]] in [[New Orleans]].<ref name="Jeopardy">{{Cite web |title=Bio of Johnny Gilbert |url=http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/bios/johnnygilbert/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105212526/http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/bios/johnnygilbert/ |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |website=[[Jeopardy!]] |publisher=official website}}</ref>

===Hosting===
Gilbert went to [[New York City]], where he quickly signed with the [[William Morris Agency]] and in 1958 received his first job on national television—as the host of a newly created game show, ''Music Bingo''.<ref name="Milwaukee Sentinel" /> The show ran for three years, airing first on [[NBC]] and then on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref name=officialbio/> His popularity on that show led him to record an album and several singles. Gilbert went on to emcee the local game show ''Words and Music'' on [[KTLA-TV]] in Los Angeles.<ref name= officialbio/>

Gilbert was later contacted by [[Avco Broadcasting]] to host his own local talk/variety show, ''The Johnny Gilbert Show'', which aired on WLWD-TV (now [[WDTN]]) in [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], Ohio, and three other Avco stations in Ohio and Indiana. The show was a 90-minute, live telecast running 5 days a week. It included celebrity guests and a 60-person studio audience. He hosted it for two years until he left Dayton on short notice for New York, where he became the host of the [[Metromedia]]-produced game show ''[[Fast Draw (game show)|Fast Draw]]''. His slot was then given to [[Phil Donahue]], who at that time was a reporter in WLWD-TV's news department.<ref name= officialbio/>

After his year-long run on ''Fast Draw'', Gilbert was contacted by [[Bing Crosby Productions]] to host the game show ''[[Beat the Odds]]'', produced in Los Angeles by [[Bill Carruthers]].<ref name= officialbio/> After that, he hosted a local, weekday version of ''[[Dialing for Dollars]]'' on Los Angeles's [[KCOP-TV]].<ref>"Talent Flourishes at Queen's Arms", ''[[Los Angeles Daily News|Van Nuys Valley News]]''. October 25, 1974.</ref>

=== Announcing ===

In 1963, Gilbert was selected by [[Mark Goodson]] to replace [[Don Pardo]] as the announcer and audience host for the original [[Bill Cullen]]-hosted version of ''[[The Price Is Right (1956 American game show)|The Price Is Right]]'' when it moved from NBC to ABC. He hosted the show for the absent Cullen on June 19, 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|last=videoarchives1000|date=May 7, 2013|title=The Price Is Right with guest host Johnny Gilbert 6/19/64 part 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-zuxCEaMg|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122012034/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-zuxCEaMg|archive-date=January 22, 2016|access-date=September 28, 2016|via=YouTube}}</ref> Gilbert also served as the announcer and audience host for [[Dinah Shore]]'s [[Dinah!|syndicated daily talk show]], which ran from 1974 to 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 28, 2017|title=Voice of 'Jeopardy!' John Gilbert achieves a record for his career on the show|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2017/9/voice-of-jeopardy-john-gilbert-achieves-a-record-for-his-career-on-the-show-496223|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019051438/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2017/9/voice-of-jeopardy-john-gilbert-achieves-a-record-for-his-career-on-the-show-496223|archive-date=October 19, 2018|access-date=November 12, 2017|publisher=[[Guinness World Records]]|first=Kristen|last=Stephenson}}</ref>

When [[Merv Griffin]] decided to reintroduce his quiz show ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' to television in 1984 as a daily syndicated program, the new version's host, [[Alex Trebek]], convinced Griffin to hire Gilbert as announcer and audience host; Trebek had met Gilbert at a dinner party in the early 1980s and was impressed with his voice.<ref name=NYTGilbert/> Gilbert has held these two roles ever since.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harris|first=Bob|url=https://archive.org/details/prisoneroftrebek00bobh/page/14|title=Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!|publisher=[[Random House|Random House Digital]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0-307-33956-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/prisoneroftrebek00bobh/page/14 14]|url-access=registration}}</ref> He has become well known for opening each of the show's nightly episodes with the announcement, "This is ''Jeopardy!''" After that opening line, he would introduce the two new challengers for the episode followed by the defending champion, stating the total winnings of the latter, before introducing the host. His additional duties have included announcing the fee plugs for the sponsors of the show (until 1996) and announcing consolation prizes offered to non-winning contestants (until 2002).<ref>Opening narrations and other announcements on the daily syndicated version of ''Jeopardy!'' from its premiere on September 10, 1984 through the present.</ref> As audience host, Gilbert handles warm-up duties, exciting the crowd before the commencement of taping.

In 2017 Gilbert was honored by [[Guinness World Records]] for having the longest career as a game show announcer for a single show, after 32 years with ''Jeopardy!''<ref>{{Cite web|title='Voice of "Jeopardy!" ' Johnny Gilbert, earns Guinness World Records title for longest career as a game show announcer for same show|url=https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2017/09/28/129947/voice-of-jeopardy-johnny-gilbert-earns-guinness-world-records-title-for-longest-career-as-a-game-show-announcer-for-same-show|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045457/https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2017/09/28/129947/voice-of-jeopardy-johnny-gilbert-earns-guinness-world-records-title-for-longest-career-as-a-game-show-announcer-for-same-show|archive-date=September 29, 2017|access-date=September 29, 2017|publisher=Niagara Frontier Publications}}</ref> This was commemorated with a rare on-screen appearance by Gilbert just before the Final Jeopardy! segment of the episode aired September 28, 2017 (season #34, show #7599, [[List of Jeopardy! contestants#Austin Rogers|Austin Rogers]]'s 3rd win). He has also lent his announcements to most of the ''Jeopardy!'' video games since 1992, including a few game versions in which he voiced all of the clues and effectively hosted the entire game off-screen instead of Trebek.
Gilbert briefly considered retirement after Trebek's death but chose to continue in the role. In recent years, Gilbert has handled much of his announcer load remotely, with a member of the Clue Crew providing in-studio announcements that are replaced with Gilbert's in post-production.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Podplesky|first1=Azaria|title=Nine Mile Falls' Staci Huffman to appear on 'Jeopardy!' on Friday|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/dec/06/nine-mile-falls-staci-huffman-to-appear-on-jeopard/|website=The Spokesman-Review|publisher=Spokesman-Review|access-date=January 10, 2020|ref=Spokane|date=December 6, 2018}}</ref> Since the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, Gilbert began doing his announcements in a studio built for him at his home.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theringer.com/tv/2021/4/12/22376095/jeopardy-guest-host-rotation-ken-jennings-dr-oz-aaron-rodgers|title=Inside the 'Jeopardy!' Guest Host Rotation|website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]|date=April 12, 2021|first=Claire|last=McNear|access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=UpGKlwIB1VI|title=What is the Tournament of Champions?|website=Inside Jeopardy!|date=August 15, 2022|first1=Michael|last1=Davies|first2=Sarah|last2=Whitcomb-Foss|access-date=February 11, 2023|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Since December 19, 2023, he also appears during the show's opening titles.  

Following the death of longtime host [[Alex Trebek]] on November 8, 2020, Gilbert is the last production member of ''Jeopardy!'' to remain on the show since its revival began in September 1984. 

In addition to announcing for ''Jeopardy!'', Gilbert has worked as a guest announcer on its sister show, ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]''. He announced on the episode that aired on [[April Fools' Day]] in 1997,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wheel of Fortune April Fools Episode (1997)|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21xcrk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108092542/http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21xcrk|archive-date=November 8, 2020|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=dailymotion.com|date=July 22, 2014|author=kermitTHEdinosaur93}}</ref> as well as a few weeks of episodes in 2010 following the death of the show's longtime announcer, [[Charlie O'Donnell]]. Gilbert also guest announced on ''Wheel'' in late 1995, when O'Donnell was ill,<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 25, 2015|title=Wheel of Fortune (December 1, 1995): Sheila/Wayne/Mokihana|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32yrto|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817184038/http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32yrto|archive-date=August 17, 2017|access-date=February 23, 2018|website=Dailymotion|first=David|last=Downs}}</ref> and on the daytime show in 1988 before the death of then-regular announcer [[Jack Clark (television personality)|Jack Clark]].

Other game shows for which Gilbert has announced over the decades include ''[[The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime]]'',<ref name= officialbio/> ''[[The $25,000 Pyramid]]'', ''[[The $100,000 Pyramid]]'', ''[[Anything for Money]]'',<ref name= officialbio /> ''[[Blackout (game show)|Blackout]]'', ''[[Camouflage (game show)|Camouflage]]'', ''[[Chain Reaction (game show)|Chain Reaction]]'', ''[[Dream House (game show)|Dream House]]'', ''[[Every Second Counts (American game show)|Every Second Counts]]'', ''[[Fantasy (game show)|Fantasy]]'', ''[[Go (game show)|Go]]'', ''[[Headline Chasers]]'' (produced by Griffin), ''[[Jackpot (game show)|Jackpot]]'', ''[[Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time]]'', ''[[The Joker's Wild]]'', ''[[Make Me Laugh]]'',<ref name= officialbio/> ''[[Perfect Match (American game show)|Perfect Match]]'', ''[[The Quiz Kids Challenge]]'', ''[[Sports Challenge]]'', ''[[Supermarket Sweep]]'', ''[[Tic-Tac-Dough]]'', ''[[Win, Lose or Draw]]'',<ref name= officialbio/> and ''[[Yours for a Song]]''. He substituted for [[Gene Wood]] on several [[Goodson-Todman]] game shows, including ''[[Family Feud]]'', the CBS version of ''[[Card Sharks]]'', and ''[[Child's Play (game show)|Child's Play]]''. He succeeded [[Rich Jeffries]] (another part-time substitute for Wood) as permanent announcer of [[Chuck Woolery]]'s game show ''[[Love Connection]]'' during the 1988–89 season.

===Other roles===
Gilbert's voice was heard on the CBS television special ''[[Circus of the Stars]]'', in ''[[People's Choice Awards]]'' and ''[[Emmy Awards]]'' ceremonies, and on episodes of the animated series ''[[The Angry Beavers]]'' and ''[[Johnny Bravo]]''. He announced a fictional episode of ''Jeopardy!'' in the "[[Ellen's Energy Adventure]]" show at [[EPCOT Center]]'s [[Universe of Energy]] attraction, and appeared in a subplot of the 1992 movie ''[[White Men Can't Jump]]'' in which a character played by [[Rosie Perez]] attempts to pass the ''Jeopardy!'' audition. Gilbert also lent his voice to an announcer in a 1989 episode of the TV series ''[[227 (TV series)|227]]'' and announced in ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' episode "Questions and Answers" (season 7, episode 17, on February 8, 1992) and in the ''[[Cheers]]'' episode "[[What Is... Cliff Clavin?]]" (season 8, episode 14, on January 18, 1990).