During Let’s Make A Deal’s impressive 23-year run on two national networks and in syndication, Monty Hall, the show’s host and co-creator, revolutionized the genre by becoming the first game show personality to be elevated to star status.
In the years that followed, Hall would produce another popular game show, headline at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, guest star in a string of popular television programs, and use his celebrity status to support charitable causes.
Monty Hall’s earliest show business work was as an actor and emcee of army shows during the Second World War. In 1945, he attended the University of Manitoba, where he continued to perform in each of the college’s musical and dramatic productions. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree, he moved to Toronto where he resumed his career as actor, singer, emcee, and sportscaster.
In 1955, Hall moved to New York, where he wrote a Memo from Monty, and did a five-year run on NBC’s Monitor, despite what the network brass used to describe as his “damned Canadian accent.”
In April 1975, he was elected president of Variety Clubs International, the world’s largest children’s charity. He has been elected as chairman of Variety Clubs International, for life.
Monty Hall has received over 500 awards worldwide for his humanitarian work including the lifetime title of International Chairman for Variety Clubs International, a children’s wing named for him at Mount Sinai in Toronto, and the prestigious Order of Canada.
