Chuck Barris

Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was a notable American television game show creator, producer, and host, widely recognized for his work on The Gong Show, as well as for developing The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game. Additionally, he was a songwriter, credited with penning the hit "Palisades Park," which was recorded by Freddy Cannon and later covered by the Ramones. He also contributed music for his own game shows and authored an autobiography titled Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which was adapted into a film featuring Sam Rockwell and directed by George Clooney.

Barris established Chuck Barris Productions on June 14, 1965, and achieved early success with The Dating Game, which premiered on ABC in 1965 and ran until 1980, with two revivals in the following decades. In 1966, he launched The Newlywed Game, originally conceived by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir, which became the longest-running show from his company, airing until 1985.

In 1976, he gained widespread fame as the producer and host of the parody talent show The Gong Show, which aired for two seasons on NBC and continued in syndication for four additional years. The show inspired several revivals, including one in 2017.

Barris’s 1984 autobiography claimed he had worked as a CIA assassin, a declaration the agency later denied. He was married twice, first to Lyn Levy and later to Robin Altman, before marrying Mary Clagett. Barris passed away at 87 from natural causes at his home in Palisades, NY.