Art Linkletter

Birth Name:

Gordon Arthur Kelly

Birth Place:

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Profession

Actor

Planning to become an English teacher, he earned his bachelor's degree from San Diego State Teachers College in 1934
Graduated from high school at 16 and hitchhiked around the country, working as a meatpacker, a harvester and a busboy in a roadhouse
Started his entertainment career as a local radio announcer and a roving broadcaster at state fairs
When he was a child, he made money by sorting through lemons abandoned outside a packing plant, cleaning them and selling them for 6 cents a dozen
Quote: "I know enough about a lot of things to be interesting, but I'm not interested enough in any one thing to be boring․"
Quote: "You live between your ears․ You can't turn back the clock, but you can rewind it․"
Known for his ad-libbed antics and interviews in "People Are Funny" and "House Party" in the 1950s and 1960s
One of his most memorable segments was when he would interview children, prompting amusing responses which he collected in his best-selling book "Kids Say the Darndest Things!"
As a child, when his family prayed and performed on street corners, he would play the triangle
His business interest ranged from oil wells to toy manufacturers

Fast Facts