Vanna White
{{Short description|American TV personality and game show hostess (born 1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Vanna White USMC-10361 (cropped).jpg
| caption = White next to the puzzle board during a recording of Wheel of Fortune on February 8, 2006
| birth_name = Vanna Marie Rosich
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|2|18}}
| birth_place = North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S.
| awards = Hollywood Walk of Fame
| known_for = Wheel of Fortune
| occupation = Game-show co-host,{{cite web|url=http://www.wheeloffortune.com/vanna-white|title=Vanna White – Official Page – Wheel of Fortune}} television personality, model, actress
| yearsactive = 1980–present
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|George Santo Pietro|1990|2002|end=div}}}}
|children = 2
}}
Vanna Marie White (née Rosich; born February 18, 1957){{cite web|title=Vanna White – Game Show Host|url=https://www.biography.com/people/vanna-white-9542236|publisher=Biography.com|access-date=July 26, 2017}} is an American television personality and game-show hostess, best known as the co-host of the game show Wheel of Fortune, a position she has held since 1982. She began her career as a model while studying fashion, competing in Miss Georgia USA in 1978. In addition to her work on Wheel of Fortune, she has played minor characters or appeared as herself in many films and television series, and is the author of the 1987 autobiography Vanna Speaks. She also participates in real-estate investment, owns the yarn brand Vanna's Choice, and is a patron of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Early life
Vanna Marie Rosich was born on February 18, 1957, near North Myrtle Beach in Horry County, South Carolina.Almanac of Famous People, Gale Publishing, June 8, 2011. She is the daughter of Joan Marie (Nicholas) and Miguel Angel Rosich.{{cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/05/showbiz/charlie-sheen-now-carlos-estevez | title=Adiós Charlie Sheen, Hello Carlos Estévez | first=Cindy | last=Rodríguez | date=June 5, 2013 | website=CNN}} According to census records, her paternal (Rosich) second great-grandparents were Spanish immigrants from Mallorca who settled in Ponce, Puerto Rico.{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W-lFpjnXNMHer|title=Vanna White: The Genealogy of America's Favorite Game Show Host|website=YouTube |date=December 14, 2023 |accessdate=January 18, 2024}} When Vanna was an infant, her parents divorced. She was raised by her mother Joan and by Joan's second husband, Herbert White Jr. (1925–2022), a former real estate broker,{{cite web | url=https://wpde.com/news/local/vanna-white-north-myrtle-beach-native-announces-death-of-father | title=Vanna White, North Myrtle Beach native, announces death of father | first=Julia | last=Varnier | date=April 1, 2022 | website=WPDE.com | location=Florence, South Carolina | access-date=April 21, 2022}} in North Myrtle Beach. Vanna took White's surname. After graduating from high school, White moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended the Atlanta School of Fashion and Design and worked as a model.{{Cite web |title=Vanna White |url=https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/vanna-white/ |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en}} White headed to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue an acting career, but in the summer of 1980, she returned briefly to South Carolina to see her mother, who was dying of ovarian cancer.{{cite news|url=https://www.biography.com/personality/vanna-white|title=Vanna White - Age, Husband & Daughter - Biography|access-date=April 27, 2017}}
Career
=Television, motion picture, and other media appearances=
File:Vanna White and Pat Sajak, 2006 edit.jpg in 2006]]
Before her appearance on TV, White was a contestant in the Miss Georgia USA 1978 pageant.{{YouTube|id=VPcp6UKW9V0|title=JIM GIBSON - VANNA WHITE - MISS GEORGIA USA 1981 - GIBSON}}
White's first appearance on a game show was on the June 20, 1980 episode of The Price Is Right, where she was among the first four contestants.{{Cite episode |series=The Price Is Right (American game show) |network=CBS|date=June 20, 1980 |season=8 |number=186|language=en}}{{YouTube|id=ieISImBYae8|title=Vanna White on The Price Is Right (1980)}} White did not make it on stage, but the clip of her running to Contestants' Row was rebroadcast as part of The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Special in August 1996{{YouTube|id=-Lw_YsccLEU|title=The Price Is Right's 25th Anniversary Special (08/23/1996)}} and The Price Is Right Celebrates 50 Years in September 2021 (in which she also appeared as a Guest Model during the show), and also was featured on the special broadcast Game Show Moments Gone Bananas.
In 1980, White acted in a film that was not completed; it was subsequently edited and released in June 1990 as Gypsy Angels.{{YouTube|id=frAIAc3VbU4|title=Vanna White in Gypsy Angels (1982) trailer}}{{cite web |title=Gypsy Angels (1990)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109966/|access-date=November 23, 2019 |work=IMDb}} In 1981, she got a bit part in the film Looker and also appeared as Doris in the horror movie Graduation Day, an American slasher film directed by Herb Freed and produced by Troma Entertainment.{{cite web |title=Vanna White Takes Her Turn at TV Movies|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-11-20-8802180799-story.html |access-date=November 20, 2019 |date=November 20, 1988|first1=Frank |last1=Sanello|work=Chicago Tribune}}
White's 1987 autobiography, Vanna Speaks!, was a best-seller."About New York", The New York Times, May 23, 1987. That same year, she was featured in a Playboy pictorial,{{cite web|date=March 30, 2017 |title=Vanna White: I'm Embarrassed by My 'Playboy' Cover |work=US Magazine|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/vanna-white-im-embarrassed-by-my-playboy-cover-w474278/ |access-date=December 23, 2019|first1=Evan|last1=Real}} showing photos taken of her before her career on Wheel of Fortune, wearing see-through lingerie.{{cite news |title=March 30, 2017: 'I shouldn't have': At 60, Vanna White reflects on her 1987 Playboy cover that inspired two lawsuits |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-vanna-white-playboy-20170330-story.html |access-date=November 14, 2019 |date=March 30, 2017|first1=Travis M.|last1=Andrews|newspaper=Chicago Tribune}} White starred as the title character, Venus, in the 1988 television movie Goddess of Love.{{Cite web |title=The Goddess of Love |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/468445/the-goddess-of-love/ |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}
White has made cameo appearances on television shows such as L.A. Law,{{cite web |title=L.A. Law:Vowel Play|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0624156/|access-date=November 26, 2019 |work=IMDb}} 227,{{cite web |title=227:The Wheel of Misfortune|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0502148/|access-date=November 26, 2019 |work=IMDb}} Super Mario Bros. Super Show,{{cite magazine |title=Lou Albano Wrestles with Mario Role in New Syndicated TV 'Super Show' |magazine=Vending Times |date=August 1989 |page=88 |url=https://archive.org/details/VendingTimesVOL29NO10August1989Clearscan/page/n79/mode/2up |quote=Noted letter-turner Vanna White (left) tries to sweet talk our hero, Mario, a.k.a. Captain Lou Albano.}} Simon and Simon,{{cite web |title=Simon & Simon:Walking Point|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701008/|access-date=November 26, 2019 |work=IMDb}} The King of Queens,{{cite web |title=The King of Queens:Inner Tube|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0620095/|access-date=November 26, 2019 |work=IMDb}} Full House,{{cite web |title=Full House:The Test|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0584235/|access-date=November 26, 2019 |work=IMDb}} RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars{{cite web |title='Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White Set to Make Guest Appearance on Major Paramount+ Reality Series |url=https://outsider.com/american-entertainment/tv-2/wheel-of-fortune/wheel-of-fortune-vanna-white-set-make-guest-appearance-major-paramount-reality-series/|access-date=May 27, 2022 |work=IMDb}} and in films such as Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) Double Dragon (1994) and the Australian variety series Hey Hey It's Saturday.
White guest-starred on Married...With Children; in a gender swap parody of the film Indecent Proposal, she had the Robert Redford role while Al Bundy had that of Demi Moore.{{cite web |title=Married...with Children:The Proposition|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0642412/ |work=IMDb}}{{Cite episode |title=The Proposition |series=Married...with Children |network=Fox |date=May 23, 1993 |season=7 }} White served as guest timekeeper and provided interviews from the backstage area throughout the evening for WrestleMania IV.{{cite web |title=WrestleMania IV celebrities|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/4/celebrities |work=WWE|access-date=November 25, 2019}} In 1996, she was the main narrator and singer in the CD release of Leslie Bricusse's "Santa's Last Ride."{{cite web|title = Santa's Last Ride: Vanna White |work=Amazon Music|url=https://www.amazon.com/Santas-Last-Ride-Vanna-White/dp/B000003QDA |access-date=November 20, 2019}}
On April 20, 2006, White was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Pat Sajak, Merv Griffin, and Alex Trebek as key witnesses.{{cite web |title=Vanna White gets Walk of Fame star |url=http://www.today.com/id/12412671/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/vanna-white-gets-walk-fame-star/#.XdwcX_V6hJ8 |access-date=November 25, 2019 |date=April 20, 2006|agency=Associated Press}}
White lent her voice to the Canadian animated television special The Real Story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the American animated television series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.{{cite web |title=Captain Planet and the Planeteers The Guinea Pigs |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1758974/ |website=imdb.com |publisher=IMDb, Inc. |access-date=November 9, 2021}}
White presented a set of luggage in a special guest appearance on The Price Is Right Celebrates 50 Years in September 2021.{{cite web |title=Vanna White helps 'Price is Right' celebrate 50 years by reliving her time as a contestant |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/vanna-white-helps-price-is-right-celebrate-50-years-by-reliving-her-time-as-a-contestant/vi-AAP1DkX |website=msn.com |access-date=November 9, 2021}}
In May 2022, White appeared as a special guest in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars where the contestants did a runway in tribute to her past looks.{{cite web|title=Drag Race queens hilariously stunned by Vanna White in All Stars 7 ball: 'Oh my, f--- me!'|url=https://ew.com/tv/vanna-white-surprises-queens-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-7-ball/ |website=ew.com |access-date=July 26, 2022}}
On April 21, 2023, it was announced that White would be featured in a four-episode documentary by ABC News titled The Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America over the last eight decades. The four-part documentary premiered on May 10, 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-21 |title=ABC News Studios Sets The Game Show Show Special (Exclusive) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/abc-news-studios-the-game-show-show-exclusive/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |language=en-US}}
=''Wheel of Fortune'' television game show=
After Wheel of Fortune hostess Susan Stafford left in October 1982, White was selected as one of three substitute hostesses (along with Vicki McCarty and Summer Bartholomew) to co-host the show.{{cite web | title=TV mailbag | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-06-17-0706140191-story.html | access-date=April 21, 2022 | date=June 17, 2007 | first1=Jay | last1=Robbin | work=Chicago Tribune | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126223309/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-06-17-0706140191-story.html | archive-date=November 26, 2020}} On December 13, 1982, White became the regular hostess.{{YouTube|id=-JDHG63bci7M|title=Wheel of Fortune: Vanna Whites' First Appearance}}
File:Vanna handprints.jpg at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park]]
White temporarily took over hosting Wheel of Fortune as master of ceremonies starting with the week of episodes that were slated to air starting on December 9, 2019. The announcement was made after a taping day was postponed when Sajak was hospitalized with a blocked intestine and needed emergency surgery to clear it. White hosted that taping day and the subsequent rescheduled taping the next day.{{cite news | title='Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak recovering from emergency surgery, Vanna White to fill in | date=November 8, 2019 | first=Mariah | last=Haas | work=Fox News | url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/wheel-of-fortune-pat-sajak-emergency-surgery-vanna-white-host | access-date=April 21, 2022}} Guest letter activators were implemented during her shows hosting; the weeks of December 9 and 16 had Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/10/vanna-white-hosts-wheel-of-fortune-first-time-pat-sajak-recovers-emergency-surgery/|title=Vanna White hosts Wheel of Fortune for first time while Pat Sajak recovers from emergency surgery|first=Sydney|last=Bucksbaum|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 10, 2019|access-date=December 12, 2021}} during the Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway.{{cite web | title = Secret Santa Holiday Giveway hosted by Vanna White |work=Wheel of Fortune | url=https://www.wheeloffortune.com/so-many-ways-to-play/enter-sweepstakes/disney-secret-santa-giveaway/ |access-date=November 20, 2019}} Subsequently, the show went on hiatus during Christmas week (December 23, 2019) and then a week of previously taped "America's Game" episodes (Wheel tapes six episodes per day, with each studio audience receiving three shows each; the third show in the afternoon session is an "America's Game" episode) that Sajak hosted, before White returned to hosting on January 6, 2020, for a final week; she was assisted by a "special guest",{{cite web | title ='P-A-N-I-C': Vanna White opens up about hosting 'Wheel of Fortune' at last minute |work=Today | first1=Alyssa |last1=Newcomb|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/vanna-white-opens-about-hosting-wheel-fortune-last-minute-t169844 |access-date=December 24, 2019|date=December 11, 2019}} Pat Sajak's daughter Maggie.{{cite web | title=Pat Sajak's daughter serves as letter-turner on 'Wheel of Fortune' |work=UPI | first1=Annie |last1=Martin|url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2020/01/07/Pat-Sajaks-daughter-serves-as-letter-turner-on-Wheel-of-Fortune/6361578405155/ |access-date=January 7, 2020|date=January 7, 2020}} Fully recovered from his surgery, Sajak returned to the show on December 5, 2019, with episodes airing on January 13, 2020.
White missed filming five episodes in August 2023 after contracting COVID-19. She was temporarily replaced by Bridgette Donald-Blue but returned as hostess in October 2023. Filming on additional episodes was delayed until after her recovery.{{Cite web |last1=October 02 |first1=Wesley Stenzel |last2=EDT |first2=2023 at 08:23 PM |title=Here's why Vanna White isn't on 'Wheel of Fortune' this week |url=https://ew.com/tv/why-vanna-white-isnt-on-wheel-of-fortune-teachers-week/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=EW.com |language=en}} This marked the first time that White had missed an episode since 1991.{{Cite web |last1=October 09 |first1=Wesley Stenzel |last2=EDT |first2=2023 at 09:15 AM |title=Vanna White is back on 'Wheel of Fortune' after COVID absence |url=https://ew.com/tv/vanna-white-back-on-wheel-of-fortune-after-covid-absence/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=EW.com |language=en}}
Since 2021, Sajak and White hosted Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC.{{cite web | last1=Stone | first1=Natalie | title=Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Coming to ABC with Pat Sajak and Vanna White Set to Host | date=November 9, 2020 | url=https://people.com/tv/pat-sajak-vanna-white-to-host-celebrity-wheel-of-fortune/ | website=People | access-date=January 8, 2021}} Later in the year it was announced that both Sajak and White have been signed on to continue as hosts of Wheel of Fortune through the 2023–24 season.{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/pat-sajak-vanna-white-host-wheel-of-fortune-through-2024-1234829089/ | title=Pat Sajak & Vanna White Sign On To Host 'Wheel Of Fortune' Through 2024 | first=Nellie | last=Andreeva | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=September 8, 2021}} She extended her contract on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune again in July 2023.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=2023-07-20 |title=Vanna White Inks Deal To Continue On 'Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune' |url=https://deadline.com/2023/07/vanna-white-return-celebrity-wheel-of-fortune-1235443399/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} In September 2023, White extended her contract as host of Wheel of Fortune through the 2025–26 season.{{Cite web |last=Earl |first=William |date=2023-09-19 |title=Vanna White Extends 'Wheel of Fortune' Contract Through 2025-26 Season |url=https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/vanna-white-wheel-of-fortune-contract-extension-1235727846/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
In May 2023, White competed as a contestant on a celebrity edition of Wheel of Fortune against Jeopardy! hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik.{{cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/celebrity-wheel-of-fortune-ken-jennings-steals-answer-from-jeopardy-co-host-mayim-bialik-exclusive|title=Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Ken Jennings 'Steals' Answer From Jeopardy! Co-Host Mayim Bialik (Exclusive)|work=Entertainment Tonight|author=Philiana Ng|date=April 28, 2023|access-date=May 6, 2023}}
=Real-estate investing=
White uses her income to invest in apartment buildings, and she likes flipping houses. In 2017, White listed her Beverly Hills home for $47.5 million.{{cite web | title=Vanna White's Empire Goes Way Beyond Her 'Wheel of Fortune' Salary |work=Good Housekeeping |
first1=Kayla|last1=Keegan|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a27507937/vanna-white-salary/ |access-date=November 24, 2019|date=May 17, 2019}} In 2023, she began renting her home in Sherman Oaks.{{Cite web |last=Natale |first=Brittany |date=2023-10-06 |title=She'd Like a 'T' for 'Tenant': Vanna White Offering Her Sherman Oaks Estate for $20K a Month |url=https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/she-d-like-a-t-for-tenant-vanna-white-18404936.php |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=SFGATE |language=en}}
=Crochet and knitting endorsements=
When White was five, her grandmother taught her how to crochet. White had lost interest in the hobby over time, until on the Wheel of Fortune set, she noticed her pregnant hairdresser was crocheting a baby blanket for herself. White told her that she previously crocheted and asked the hairdresser to help her relearn crochet.{{YouTube|id=I8sbCns239E|title=How Vanna White Learned to Crochet}} When she has downtime on the set, White often crochets, as she finds it very relaxing and has something to show for the time she has spent doing it.{{cite web | title=Q & A with the Lovely (and Crafty!) Vanna White |work=Etsy |
last=missbatch|url=https://blog.etsy.com/en/q-a-with-the-lovely-and-crafty-vanna-white/ |access-date=November 24, 2019|date=March 25, 2008}}
White began her relationship with Lion Brand Yarns when she spoke about her love of crochet on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson;{{YouTube|id=sa_ZDGpaYDQ|title=The Tonight Show. Vanna White 5/2/1986}} the yarn company subsequently contacted her and negotiated a contract. White has her own line of yarn called Vanna's Choice{{cite web|title=Vanna's Choice Yarn at Lion Brand Yarn|url=http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/vannasChoice.html|publisher=Lion Brand Yarn|access-date=March 16, 2016}} and endorses crochet and knitting books published in her name.{{cite web | title=Vanna White |work=Thriftbooks|url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/vanna-white/213308/ |access-date=November 24, 2019}}
=World record=
White is famous for her seamless revealing of letters on the game board, her smile, and her constant clapping in support of each episode's contestants. On the May 24, 2013 episode of Wheel of Fortune,{{cite episode |series=Wheel of Fortune|season=30 |network=Syndicated|date=May 24, 2013}} White was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate for most frequent clapper. As of January 31, 2013, she had clapped an estimated 3,480,864 times across the show's 30 seasons. White had appeared in all but 10 of Wheel{{'}}s 5,754 episodes to that point, during the show's modern syndicated run, which began on September 19, 1983. That works out to an average number of 606 claps per show.{{cite web | url= https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/5/wheel-of-fortunes-vanna-white-the-most-frequent-clapper-48821/ | title=Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White honored as Most Frequent Clapper | date=May 23, 2013 | work= Guinness World Records | access-date=November 20, 2019}}{{cite web |title=8 Things You Might Not Know About Vanna White |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/551329/facts-about-vanna-white-wheel-of-fortune |website=mentalfloss.com |date=July 26, 2018}}
Personal life
In the 1980s, White dated and became engaged to soap opera actor John Gibson, a Playgirl magazine centerfold and Chippendales dancer. However, Gibson died in a 1986 airplane crash. In 1990, White married restaurant owner George Santo Pietro.{{cite news | title= Stargazing | date= March 11, 1991 | work= The Kansas City Star | url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF3C31E3FAE438&p_field_direct-0=document_id | access-date= November 13, 2010}} She first became pregnant in September 1992. An episode of Wheel of Fortune contained "Vanna's pregnant" as the answer to a puzzle. She miscarried shortly after the episode's taping.{{cite web | url= https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920918/1513705/vanna-has-miscarriage | title= Vanna Has Miscarriage | date= September 18, 1992 | work= The Seattle Times | access-date= June 5, 2014}} White gave birth to a son in 1994{{cite news | title= N-i-c-h-o-l-a-s Makes Vanna White A Mommy | work= Orlando Sentinel | date= June 15, 1994 | url= https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1994/06/15/n-i-c-h-o-l-a-s-makes-vanna-white-a-mommy/ | access-date= February 9, 2011}} and a daughter in 1997{{Cite web |title=ENTERTAINMENT NEWS |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/07/14/entertainment-news/ |date= 1997-07-14|access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}} from her marriage to Santo Pietro.{{Cite web |title=VANNA HAS 2 B-A-B-I-E-S |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1998-10-11-9810090457-story.html|date= 1998-10-11|access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Orlando Sentinel}} The couple divorced in November 2002.{{Cite web |date=2002-06-21 |title=White files for divorce after 11-year marriage |url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/21/19662004/white-files-for-divorce-after-11-year-marriage |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Deseret News |language=en}} From 2004 to 2006, she was engaged to Southern California businessman Michael Kaye. The two never wed.{{cite web|url=http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/vanna-white-opens-up-happiness-after-heartache-exclusive-91888|title=Vanna White Opens Up About Finding Happiness After Heartbreak – "I'm Finally Happy Just the Way Things Are"|website=Closer|date=October 13, 2017}} Since 2012, White has been in a relationship with contractor John Donaldson, whom she met through mutual friends.{{Cite web|last1= Mangum|first1= Trey|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/vanna-white-would-call-john-donaldson-her-husband-even-though-theyre-not-married.html/|website= Showbiz Cheatsheet|title = Vanna White Would Call John Donaldson Her Husband Even Though They're Not Married|date = January 22, 2021}}
White is a Baptist.{{cite web |date=November 11, 2019 |title=Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White Opens Up About Her Relationship with God: 'I Pray Every Day' |first=Gillian |last=Telling |url=https://people.com/tv/vanna-white-opens-up-about-christianity-relationship-with-god/ |access-date=August 10, 2021 |work=People}}
White is sometimes described as the "niece" of actor Christopher George.{{Cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/26/lkl.00.html|title=CNN Transcript – Larry King Live: Pat Sajak and Vanna White Spell out the Secret to their Success|date=December 26, 2000|website=transcripts.cnn.com|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=September 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928003316/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/26/lkl.00.html|url-status=dead}} While George is not a biological relation, White's mother grew up with him, and George and his wife took White "under their wing" in Los Angeles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001846/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia|title=Vanna White:Biography|work=IMDb|access-date=December 22, 2019}} In an interview with Larry King, White said that her children often come to Wheel of Fortune tapings.
On April 1, 2022, White announced that her stepfather, Herbert White Jr., had died peacefully that morning.{{cite web | url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/heartbreaking-news-for-vanna-white-has-wheel-of-fortune-fans-rallying-around-her/ar-AAVVUbc?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=d82ef1de8c8e4ed5bc187ad01e5eb3eb | title=Heartbreaking News For Vanna White Has 'Wheel Of Fortune' Fans Rallying Around Her | first=Matthew | last=Radulski | website=MSN | date=April 6, 2022 | access-date=April 21, 2022}}{{cite news | url=http://www.latina.com/entertainment/buzz/say-what-15-more-stars-you-never-knew-were-latino?slide=9 | title=Say What?! 15 MORE Stars You Never Knew Were Latino! | last=Hernandez | first=Lee | date=March 22, 2011 | publisher=Latina.com | access-date=March 30, 2011}}
=Philanthropy=
As of 2019, White has donated $1.8 million to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and plans to continue her philanthropy after her retirement.
Litigation
In 1993, White sued Samsung Electronics over an advertisement featuring a robot turning letters on a game show, alleging a violation of her personality rights. The lower court's decision in Samsung's favor was reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,{{cite web|title=White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc.|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15763501998860364615&q=White+v.+Samsung+Electronics+America,+Inc.,+971+F.2d+1395+(1992)&hl=en&as_sdt=40000003|access-date=July 26, 2017}} which denied a rehearing, but Judge Alex Kozinski issued a dissent. The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari. A jury awarded White $403,000 in damages.{{cite book|title=Major Principles of Media Law, 2012 Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y6uJ7u4331cC&pg=PA215|publisher=Wadsworth, Cengage Learning|page=215|first1=Wayne|last1= Overbeck|first2=Genelle|last2=Belmas|date = August 11, 2011|isbn = 978-0495901952|access-date=March 27, 2019}}{{cite web|title=Specific Case Law on Fair Market Value of a Right of Publicity|work=Mark Roesler|first1=Mark|last1=Roesler|url=https://www.markroesler.com/legal/damages/|access-date=December 21, 2019}}
In popular culture
- Parody song "Vanna, Pick Me a Letter" (a riff on Wayne Carson's "The Letter") was released by David Kolin (aka Dr. Dave) in 1987. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcXmOFwHf4A "Vanna, Pick Me a Letter" by Dr. Dave] retrieved 10-5-2023
- The second track of "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1988 album, Even Worse, features the song "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White".
- The 2001 Nelly single "Ride wit Me", mentions White with the lyrics "I'm getting pages out of New Jersey from Courtney B. Telling me bout a party up in NYC. And can I make it? Damn right, I be on the next flight, paying cash, first class, sitting next to Vanna White…"
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| Doris | |
| Looker
| Reston Girl | |
| rowspan="1" | 1993
| Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult | Herself | |
| 1994
|Herself |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1981
| Devona | TV Movie |
| 1982–present
| Co-Host |
| 1988
| Venus | TV Movie |
| 1988
| Herself | TV Special |
| 1989
|The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! |Roxanne |Live Action Segment |
| 1992
| Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Laurie Saunders (Voice) | The Guinea Pigs (Season 3, Episode 7) |
| 1993
| Coco/Helen Granowinner | Guest (season 7, episode 26) |
| 1994
| Herself | Guest (Season 7, Episode 15) |
| 2021–present
| Co-Host | Contestant (Season 3, Episode 14) |
| 2022
| RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 7 | Herself | Guest (season 7, episode 3) |
Publications
- {{cite book|title=Vanna Speaks|first1=Vanna|last1=White|date=1987|location=New York|publisher=Warner Books|isbn=0-446-51366-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/vannaspeaks00whit|ref=none}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikisource|White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc./Panel Opinion|White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc.}}
- {{IMDb name|1846|Vanna White}}
- [http://www.wheeloffortune.com/vanna-white Vanna White's biography] on wheeloffortune.com
- Judge Alex Kozinski's [https://web.archive.org/web/20060617160850/http://notabug.com/kozinski/whitedissent dissent] in the White v. Samsung Electronics appeal
- {{EmmyTVLegends name|vanna-white|Vanna White}}
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{{s-media}}
{{s-bef | before=Susan Stafford}}
{{s-ttl | title=Wheel of Fortune Hostess | years=December 13, 1982 – December 6, 2019}}
{{s-aft | after = Rotating Disney personalities}}
{{s-bef | before= Rotating Disney personalities}}
{{s-ttl | title=Wheel of Fortune Hostess | years=December 23, 2019 – January 3, 2020}}
{{s-aft | after=Maggie Sajak}}
{{s-bef | before= Maggie Sajak}}
{{s-ttl | title=Wheel of Fortune Hostess | years=January 13, 2020 – present}}
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{{s-ttl |title=Host of Wheel of Fortune (syndicated)|years=December 9, 2019 – December 20, 2019}}
{{s-aft | after=Pat Sajak | rows=2}}
|-
{{s-ttl |title=Host of Wheel of Fortune (syndicated)|years=January 6, 2020 – January 10, 2020}}
{{s-end}}
{{Wheel of Fortune}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Vanna}}
Category:20th-century American women
Category:20th-century Baptists
Category:21st-century American women
Category:21st-century Baptists
Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent
Category:American women philanthropists
Category:American women television personalities
Category:Baptists from the United States
Category:Contestants on American game shows
Category:Mass media people from South Carolina
Category:People from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Category:People from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Category:Philanthropists from South Carolina
Category:Wheel of Fortune (franchise)
Category:American people of Spanish descent