Bert Convy biography

Synopsis

Early Music

Actor, game show host, singer, producer. Born Bernard Whalen Convy on July 23, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri. Perhaps best known as a likeable game show host, Bert Convy was also an accomplished actor and singer. He moved to the Los Angeles area with his mother around the age of 7 after his parents divorced. A graduate of North Hollywood High School, Convy was a talented first baseman on the school’s baseball team. He briefly pursued a professional baseball career before going to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

While at college, Convy started acting and joined a rock group called the Cheers. His first role was a non-speaking part in Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid at the university. He wanted to make a career out of acting, despite the odds. In a later interview with People magazine, Convy recalled a meeting of the theater arts students. “The dean told the 500 of us, ‘if you are very, very lucky, one of you will make his living in this business . . . one!’ I remember walking out, feeling sorry for the other 499.”

Outside of school, Convy found chart success with his band. The trio scored a minor hit in 1954 with “(Bazoom) I Need Your Lovin’” and had a top ten hit with “Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots” the next year, which sold more than one million copies. While trying his hand at a solo music career, Convy found greater success on the stage. He starred in the Billy Barnes Revue, a music theater production that started its run in Los Angeles and then moved to Broadway in 1959. The show highlighted his talents as a singer, dancer, and actor.

Acting

Around this time, Convy also appeared on the big screen in B-movie king Roger Corman’s horror film, A Bucket of Blood (1959). He went on to land a number of guest spots on such television shows, as Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Moving to New York City in 1962, Convy returned to Broadway. He was one of the original cast members of the hit musical drama, Fiddler on the Roof, with Zero Mostel and Bea Arthur in 1964. Two years later, Convy earned more rave reviews for his work in the original musical Cabaret.

In addition to his stage work, Convy remained a popular guest star on television. He also appeared on several game shows, such as Password and Match Game. Moving back to California in 1974, Convy became the host of Tattletales, the daytime game show, which featured celebrity couples trying to give matching answers to win money for their section in the studio audience. His work on the show earned him an Emmy Award in 1977.

Television

The success of the game show opened many doors for Convy. A man of many talents, he also had a short-lived variety show, The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show, in 1976. Convy also appeared in films and television movies, including Semi-Tough (1977) with Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson.