Jim Lange
Lange was awarded a Chick Evans, four year college scholarship from the Western Golf Association, and chose the University of Minnesota. There, he went on to study radio and television speech, with a minor concentration in Journalism. He graduated cum laude in 1954.
After a three-year stint as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, Lange headed west for a job as an all-night disc jockey at KGO in San Francisco, where he was proclaimed the All-Nite Mayor by the city government. In January of 1960, Lange moved across town to KSFO where he remained a part of the legendary World' s Greatest Radio Station for twenty-three years as a radio personality and sports announcer. From the late ‘ 60s through the mid ‘ 70s, he provided the Bay Area with color commentary for the San Francisco 49' ers.
Lange began his network television career in 1962 as the right-hand man to the Old Peapicker on the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show for ABC. Then, in 1965, he began an eleven year career as host of the extremely popular The Dating Game, again for ABC and later in the syndication version. The Dating Game boosted Lange to a new plateau of national popularity and solidified him among the top game show personalities on television. Lange took the helm of other games shows, including Give-N-Take (CBS), Hollywood Connection (Syndication), Spin-Off (CBS), Bullseye (Syndication), Name That Tune (Syndication), Oh My Word (Syndication), Triple Threat (Syndication) and The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime. Intermingled with his game show activities, Lange found time to host The Mrs. World Pagaent, Model of the Year Special, as well as numerous guest appearances on sitcoms including Laverne & Shirley and Bewitched, and feature film cameos. He also served as a golf commentator for ESPN' s coverage of the PGA and Senior golf tours.
Lange' s radio career continued concurrent with his television activities. In 1983, after commuting for almost twenty years, he moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles to join radio station KMPC as an on-air personality, and was voted Favorite DJ by the city' s listeners in 1988. In 1990, Lange returned to the City by the Bay to become the host of the morning show at radio station KFRC in San Francisco.
Jim still has a syndicated radio series titled Encore, which plays over 200 markets nationwide.
Lange has hosted numerous telethons and charity functions, including his own golf tournament for the National Association for the Visually Handicapped, of which he serves as National Honorary Chairman.
Golf remains one of Lange' s favorite pastimes. He has participated as a celebrity contestant in seventeen Bing Crosby Clambakers. His handicap is ten, and if he' s not working, you can probably find him on the golf course. Mr. Lange is married to former Miss America and television personality Nancy Fleming. They live in Mill Valley, California.
He is currently hosting the morning drive-time radio show on station KABL in San Francisco and The $25,000 Game Show in both Nashville and Branson, Missouri, and makes numerous appearances as guest speaker and Master of Ceremonies for special events, both commercial and charitable, throughout the U.S.
Jim Lange Facts
Occupation | TV Host |
Birthday | August 15, 1933 (89) |
Sign | Leo |
Birthplace | St. Paul, Minnesota, USA |
Selected Filmography
Down + Dirty With Jim Norton 01 | ||
The Trial | ||
Women Aren't Funny | ||
Broken Flowers | ||
Hustle | ||
The Gambler | ||
When Mourning Breaks | ||
Airport 1975 | ||
Masked And Anonymous | ||
|