As a teenager, earned paychecks singing on cruise ships, in dinner clubs and on radio shows
Served in the Navy during World War II
Provided the singing voice of Prince Charming in Walt Disney's 1950 animated film Cinderella
Was featured on Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge; changed his stage name after Kyser accidentally introduced him as Mike Douglas
His live talk show, which began in 1961, started taping episodes in 1965 after actress Zsa Zsa Gabor made an indecent remark about comedian Morey Amsterdam on air
Hosted over 6,000 programs and interviewed more than 40,000 guests
Published a memoir in 1999 called I'll Be Right Back: Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show
Awards
1973Emmy-Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime:nominated