‘SNL’ Legend Don Pardo Dies at 96

19 Aug, 2014

Few would recognize his face, but most knew his voice: the booming baritone that for nearly four decades heralded “Saturday Night Live.”

Don Pardo, the eras-spanning radio and TV announcer whose resonant voice-over style was celebrated for its majesty and power, died Monday in Arizona at the age of 96.

Pardo’s strong jaw and leading-man smile were seldom on display, but for more than 60 years his elegant pipes graced newscasts, game shows (during the original run of “Jeopardy!,” its emcee ritually called on him to “Tell `em what they’ve won, Don Pardo”) and especially “SNL,” where he played an integral role through last season, heralding the lineup, like always, as recently as the May finale.

“There was no greater thrill than hearing Don Pardo bellow your name for the first time in the opening credits of `Saturday Night Live,'” said long-time cast member Tina Fey. “It meant you were officially `on television.'”

In 1954, he was brought in to announce “Winner Takes All,” beginning a long run in game shows. He was heard forcefully on the original “The Price is Right” (1956-63) and the original “Jeopardy!” (1964-75), hosted by Art Fleming.

When NBC launched the radical, cutting-edge “Saturday Night Live” in 1975 with Pardo as its charmingly old-school patriarch, he was discovered by a new generation – although, on opening night, he made a rare stumble, botching one of the credits. Instead of saying “The Not Ready for Prime Time Players,” Pardo introduced the show’s new comedy troupe as “The Not for Ready Prime Time Players.”

Pardo retired from NBC in 2004.

“But (‘SNL’ executive producer) Lorne Michaels called me soon after and asked if I would continue for three more weeks, so I did,” Pardo told the AP in 2010. “Then he called and asked if I would do five more, and so on. I never really left.”

In 2010, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame.

Pardo is survived by five children.

AP

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