Gene Wood

Gene Wood
Gene Wood in an on-camera appearance on the finale of Card Sharks (from the Jim Perry era).
Born	Eugene Edward Wood (1925-10-20)October 20, 1925 Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	May 21, 2004(2004-05-21) (aged 78) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Occupation	Announcer Game show host
Years active	1965–1999

Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood (October 20, 1925 – May 21, 2004) was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the Clock. Wood also served a brief stint as a host on this last show, and on another show entitled Anything You Can Do. After retiring from game shows in 1996, Wood worked as an announcer for the Game Show Network until his retirement in 1998.

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Wood majored in speech and theater at Emerson College. His early career included stand-up comedy, television commercials, and writing for Bob Keeshan of Captain Kangaroo fame. This work included a Terrytoons-produced cartoon series that aired on the Captain Kangaroo show called The Adventures of Lariat Sam, for which Wood also supplied voices and sang the theme song. Wood also had a comedy career, often pairing with partner Bill Dana, performing their comedy act at nightclubs.

His first role as a game show announcer came as a substitute on the ABC version of Supermarket Sweep in 1966 (though EOTVGS Vol. 2 says his first work as announcer was on the daytime version of Password); three years later, he began a long association with Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, where he worked on Beat the Clock as its announcer from 1969-72; after the departure of the show's host, Jack Narz, Wood then took over as host of Beat the Clock, with Nick Holenreich serving as announcer. Wood hosted the 1971–72 season of the short-lived game show Anything You Can Do, which featured teams of men competing against teams of women in stunts similar to Beat the Clock. He also appeared as a celebrity panelist on one week of Match Game in 1974.