Peter Tomarken Biography

Fast Facts

• He was the first on-air personality to appear on camera on the Game Show Network when it launched on Dec․ 1, 1994
• He was volunteering for Angel Flight West, a non-profit organization that provides free air transportation to medical patients in need, when his plane went down on the way to the UCLA Medical Center
• Graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in English
• Started out as a magazine editor and later found work as an ad executive, where he would get his first television exposure as a spokesperson for his firm
• He made two unsold game show pilots, "Rodeo Drive" and "Duel in the Daytime," before getting his first big hosting gig on "Hit Man" in 1983
• Best known as the host of the game show "Press Your Luck" from 1983 to 1986
• Was also an actor and made several TV guest appearances over the years, including shows like "Ally McBeal," "The Rockford Files," and "A Year in the Life․"
• He appeared in the 2003 documentary "Big Bucks: The Michael Larson Story" about a "Press Your Luck" contestant who won $110,237 in a single episode, the only one ever to be shown in two parts
• He and his "Press Your Luck" announcer/sidekick had previously worked together on a different game show, 1983's "Hit Man․"
• Made a memorable slip-up when he told the contestants on the 1988 game show "Wipeout" to "avoid the Whammy," a reference to "Press Your Luck" which caused him to remark, "I knew that was gonna happen someday!"