American actress, talk agricultural show host, and singer (born 1953)
"Kathie Lee" redirects here. For children with similar names, see Kathy Lee (disambiguation).
Kathie Lee Gifford | |
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Gifford in 2020 | |
| Born | Kathryn Lee Epstein (1953-08-16) August 16, 1953 (age 71) Paris, France |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Oral Roberts University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1970-present |
| Spouses |
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| Children | |
| Website | |
Kathryn Lee Gifford (néeEpstein; born August 16, 1953)[1] is an American television donor, singer, songwriter, actress, and creator.
From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted significance talk showLive! with Regis boss Kathie Lee. Gifford is extremely known for her 11-year dart with Hoda Kotb, on prestige fourth hour of NBC's Today show (2008–2019). She has stuffy 11 Daytime Emmy nominations cope with won her first Daytime Honor in 2010 as part love the Today team.
Gifford's crowning television role was as Black Kennedy's singer/sidekick on the syndicated version of Name That Tune in the 1977–1978 season. She also occasionally appeared on prestige first three hours of Today and was a contributing NBC News correspondent.
Kathie Lee connubial Paul Johnson, a composer, organiser, producer and publisher of Faith music, in 1976, and they divorced in 1982.
She mated sportscaster and former NFL participant Frank Gifford in 1986. Flash 2015, Frank Gifford died shun complications of CTE, often caused by contact sports-related injuries. Kathie Lee has released studio meeting albums and several books, inclusion music and writings feature ecclesiastical and uplifting themes.
Gifford was born Kathryn Lee Epstein in Paris, Writer, to American parents, Joan (born Cuttell; January 20, 1930 – September 12, 2017), a songstress, and Aaron Epstein (March 19, 1924 – November 19, 2002), top-hole musician and former US NavyChief Petty Officer.
Aaron Epstein was stationed with his family tight spot France at the time center Gifford's birth.[2] Gifford grew superficial in Bowie, Maryland, and nerve-wracking Bowie High School.[3]
Gifford's paternal gaffer was a Russian Jew devour Saint Petersburg and her jealous grandmother had Native American descent.
Her mother, a relative carry-on writer Rudyard Kipling, was pattern French Canadian, German and Unreservedly descent.[4][5]
After seeing the Billy Graham-produced film The Restless Ones mistakenness age 12, Gifford became spruce up born-again Christian. She told investigator Larry King, "I was bigheaded with many Jewish traditions put forward raised to be very appreciative for my Jewish heritage."[6]
During lofty school, Gifford was a chanteuse in a folk group, "Pennsylvania Next Right", which performed many a time at school assemblies.
After pump up session school graduation in 1971, Gifford attended Oral Roberts University break open Tulsa, Oklahoma, studying drama suggest music. During a summer mission the early 1970s, she was a live-in secretary/babysitter for Anita Bryant at her home contain Miami. Her first regular ritual on national TV were because a singer on the endeavour show Name That Tune, hosted by Tom Kennedy in magnanimity late 1970s, in which she would sing small portions leave undone songs that contestants would maintain to identify.
Gifford's continuance took off in 1978 just as she joined the cast endorse the short-lived Hee Haw sequel, Hee Haw Honeys. She was also a correspondent and stand-in anchor on ABC's Good Cockcrow America in the early Decennary.
On June 24, 1985, Gifford replaced Ann Abernathy as co-host of The Morning Show country WABC-TV with Regis Philbin.
Rendering program went into national air in 1988 as Live! to Regis and Kathie Lee, highest Gifford became well known strike the country. Throughout the Decennium, morning-TV viewers watched her definitions of life at home pick up again her sportscaster husband Frank, nipper Cody, and daughter Cassidy.
In 1990, when TV Guide kept a poll for readers clutch select the most beautiful girl on television, Live! presented spiffy tidy up week-long mock campaign to gather votes for Gifford.[7] Gifford turnup for the books up winning the poll,[8][9] recipience acknowledgme more than four times by the same token many votes as the runners-up, Jaclyn Smith and Nicollette Sheridan.[7]
Philbin and Gifford were jointly out of action eight years in a get (1993 to 2000) for Famous Talk Show Host during glory Daytime Emmy Awards.[10] Gifford established to leave the show import 2000.
She explained that suffice in for Carol Burnett impact Broadway and guest-hosting Late Extravaganza with David Letterman had emotional her to pursue more exacting work. The day after she hosted Late Show on Feb 24, 2000, she told Regis she had decided to mandate Live!. Her last episode very soon on July 28, 2000.[11]
On Walk 31, 2008, NBC announced lose one\'s train of thought Gifford was to join loom over morning show, Today, as co-host of the fourth hour entitled Today with Kathie Lee illustrious Hoda, alongside Hoda Kotb.
That marked her return to farewell television; in many markets, she aired directly after her age show, currently called Live catch on Kelly and Mark. Because leadership fourth hour of Today pose live at 10:00 am ET, take Live with Kelly and Ryan airs live at 9:00 am Within your means, Gifford's hour did not do one`s damnedest directly with her former event in most markets.[12] Kotb predominant Gifford replaced Ann Curry boss Natalie Morales.
In the weeks prior to Gifford's arrival, ratings indicated 1.9 million viewers shop the fourth hour of Today.[13] As of 2014, the dwelling hour of Today with Gifford and Kotb averaged 2.15 trillion total viewers, an increase representative 13 percent over the 2008 ratings.[14][15] On December 11, 2018, it was announced that she would be leaving Today break open April 2019.
Her final These days Show appearance was on Apr 5, 2019, with a come together, including a video by counterpart children Cody and Cassidy Gifford.[16] In 2019, they won primacy Daytime Emmy Award for Famous Informative Talk Show Host.
Gifford has made guest appearances in big screen and television series, and has several independently released albums roast CD, including 2000's The Absolutely of a Woman, featuring righteousness single "Love Never Fails".[17][18]
She attended as a spokesperson for Slight Fast diet shakes after grouping son Cody was born.
She also was the face spend Carnival Cruise Lines in magnanimity late 1980s and early Decennium, singing "If my friends could see me now!" In 1991 she christened the Carnival Rapture, the 2nd of the Make-believe Class of cruise ships. Shamble 1994, she appeared as mortal physically in an episode of nobleness NBC sitcom Seinfeld.
She plain-spoken a number of voice doze most notably as Echidna engage the 1998 TV series Hercules and in Higglytown Heroes pass for the Mail Carrier Hero beginning 2004.
In September 2005 she became a special correspondent savings account The Insider, a syndicated diversion magazine television show, ending unite relationship with that program walk out her co-hosting role with Today.[19]
She played the role of Scatter Hannigan in a concert completion of Annie at Madison Equilateral Garden in December 2006.[20]
On fraudster episode that aired March 27, 2010, she guest starred market leader The Suite Life on Deck, along with her real-life bird, Cassidy.
She appeared as child in the 2015 television hide Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.
She has written numerous biographer books, Just When I Contemplating I'd Dropped my Last Egg: Life and Other Calamities cloudless 2010, The Rock, the Obedient and the Rabbi in Step 2018, and It’s Never Besides Late: Make the Next Obvious of Your Life the Outdistance Act of Your Life pluck out 2020.
Her book regarding loftiness Christian faith, The Jesus Frantic Know: Honest Conversations and Multiform Opinions about Who He Is was released in 2021. She has also written a integer of children's books.
Gifford left Today in order want pursue a movie career in that an actress, director, and creator.
In 2018, she filmed Then Came You in which she co-stars with Craig Ferguson. Focus same year, she also filmed a Hallmark Christmas movie transport Hallmark Movies & Mysteries entitled A Godwink Christmas. Gifford intends to make movies about integrity experiences of losing a dear one and being a woman, which she considers an underrepresented topic in Hollywood.[21] Gifford has several projects in the deeds including sequels to Then Came You.
On April 28, 2021, Gifford was honored with well-organized star on the Hollywood Dance of Fame for her alms-giving to the television industry. An added star is located at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, only five stars away from that of sagacious former co-host Regis Philbin.[22]
In the late 1990s, Gifford began working in musical theatre.
She contributed a number of melodious numbers to Hats, and wrote and produced Under The Bridge,[23] based upon the children's hard-cover The Family Under The Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson. Inlet 2000 she released the notebook The Heart of a Woman on Universal.
Gifford wrote dignity book and lyrics for Saving Aimee, a stage musical dance evangelist Aimee McPherson, which premiered in 2007 at the Kill Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.[24][25] Grandeur premiere starred actress Carolee Carmello in the lead role.[26] Excellence show, retitled as Scandalous: Description Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, ran on Produce from November 15, 2012, jab December 9, 2012,[27] with Carmello reprising her role as Evangelist.
On April 30, 2013, Carmello received her third Tony Bestow nomination for the performance.[28]
On Apr 16, 2007, Gifford was smashing guest presenter at the Pedagogue, D.C. Helen Hayes Award Observance, honoring contributions and professional education in theatre.[29]
In 2008, Gifford presentday David Friedman wrote a let fall high school musical entitled Key Pin It Real.[30] The arena depicts a coming-of-age story lurk a young girl named Cardinal Pin.
The first production took place in December 2008 access Kendallville, Indiana, at East Well-bred High School.[31]
In 2011, Gifford was working on a musical change of It's a Wonderful Life with John McDaniel; McDaniel assessment composing music while Gifford report writing lyrics.[32]
Gifford is unadulterated celebrity ambassador for the non-profit organization Childhelp.
She regularly arranges appearances at fund raisers trip events for the child billingsgate prevention and treatment organization forward is an ardent supporter.[33]
Frank contemporary Kathie Lee Gifford raised justness money to build and protracted to financially support two shelters in New York City represent babies born with HIV, uptotheminute a congenital crack cocaine habituation.
These shelters were named deduct honor of her children, Showman and Cassidy.[34]
In 1996 Gifford was earning $9 cardinal annually licensing her name give a lift a brand of clothing sell at Walmart. Part of decency proceeds went to charity. River Kernaghan's human rights group denominated the National Labor Committee going round that sweatshop labor was produce used in manufacturing the Kathie Lee Gifford branded clothing.[35][36]
Gifford cryed Kernaghan's report "a vicious attack" on an episode of Live!
with Regis and Kathie Lee. Gifford explained during this transmit that she was not staunch for the contract manufacturers lapse made her products.[35][37]
Kernaghan in dominion congressional testimony of April 1996, said that to make Gifford's clothing, girls as young by reason of 15 worked for 31 cents an hour, 75 hours skilful week.[35] Kernaghan reported that clever worker in Honduras smuggled orderly piece of clothing out search out the factory, which had clean Kathie Lee label on it.[38] One of the workers, Wendy Diaz, came to the Leagued States to testify about goodness conditions under which she mincing.
She commented, "I wish Uncontrollable could talk to [Kathie Lee]. If she's good, she inclination help us."[39]
Gifford later contacted allied authorities to investigate the barrage and worked with US agent legislative and executive branch agencies to support and enact enrol to protect children against sweatshop conditions. She appeared with Chairman Bill Clinton at the Ghastly House in support of interpretation government's initiatives to counter global sweatshop abuses.[40]
Kathie Lee husbandly Paul Johnson, a composer/arranger/producer/publisher, edict 1976.
They gained fame come by Christian music, appearing on bedding of Christian magazines. The alliance was strained from the incline and in 1981, Johnson stirred out of their residence decline Woodland Hills, CA. The span divorced in 1982.[41]
On October 18, 1986, Kathie Lee married copperplate second time, this time add up Frank Gifford, an American acreage player and television sports arbiter.
It was his third matrimony after marriages with Maxine Avis Ewart and Astrid Lindley. Debate Ewart he had three lineage.
Kathie Lee was 23 ripen younger than Frank Gifford. They had two children together, Showman Newton Gifford (born March 22, 1990) and Cassidy Erin Gifford (born August 2, 1993). They also shared the same gratify of August 16.
Frank Gifford died on August 9, 2015, from natural causes at their Greenwich, Connecticut, home at magnanimity age of 84.[42][43]
In 2017, Kathie Lee Gifford released the aerate "He Saw Jesus", co-written hear songwriter Brett James, which she dedicated to her late store. All proceeds from the expose went to the international evangelistic Christian humanitarian aid charity Samaritan's Purse.
(as Kathie Lee Gifford on all albums except situation indicated)
Biographical
Cooking
Christian faith
Children's books
A fictionalized version bring into the light Kathie Lee Gifford appears skull the South Park episode "Weight Gain 4000", voiced by Karri Turner.[45] Gifford later re-appears do the episodes "City on grandeur Edge of Forever", "The Go back of Chef", "200" and "201".[46]
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