Former ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ Host and Co-Creator Monty Hall Dies in Beverly Hills at Age 96
Monty Hall, the television icon who was co-creator and the first host of “Let’s Make a Deal,” died at his home in Beverly Hills on Saturday due to heart failure, his daughter, Joanna Gleason, has confirmed to the New York Times. He was 96.
Monty Hall arrives at the 3rd annual Jerry Herman Awards at the Pantages Theatre on June 1, 2014 in Hollywood, Calif. (Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for the Pantages Theatre)
His wife of nearly 70 years died this summer, and he had a heart attack and fell ill in the time since, his daughter Sharon Hall told CNN.
“He was the greatest father on the planet,” she told CNN. “He was the dad who called every single night to see how your day was and never tired of hearing the details. He lived for his family.”
Monty Hall hosted the first version of the popular game show, on which contestants dressed in costumes and often won prizes behind one of three doors. The show premiered in the mid-1960s and a version of the show starring Wayne Brady is still on the air.
Hall was born Maurice Halperin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Aug. 25, 1921.
The game show host began his career in regional television in the 1950s and early 1960s on several children’s shows including “Cowboy Theater,” “Fun In the Morning” and “Video Village,” according to IMDB.
Hall then moved on to host network game shows such as “Split Second,” “Masquerade Party” and “Beat the Clock,” but it was “Let’s Make a Deal” that made Monty Hall a household name.
The Game Show Network ranked Hall fourth on its list of the “Top 10 Game Show Hosts of All Time,” according to IMDB.
Hall was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007.
Hall was also honored for his work as a humanitarian, receiving the Order of Canada for his philanthropic work on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Variety Clubs International, according to IMDB.
