Mike Bongiorno

Mike Bongiorno
Bongiorno in 1981
Born	(1924-05-26)26 May 1924 New York City, USA
Died	8 September 2009(2009-09-08) (aged 85) Monte Carlo, Monaco
Occupation	Presenter
Years active	1946–2009

Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (May 26, 1924 in New York City – September 8, 2009 in Monte Carlo), known as Mike Bongiorno (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaik bonˈdʒorno]), was an American, naturalized Italian, television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on Italian TV in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Italy. He was also known by the nickname il Re del Quiz (The Quiz King), and the peculiarity of starting all his shows with his trademark greeting: Allegria! (Cheers!).

Bongiorno was born in New York City, but moved to Turin (his mother's native city), when he was young. His father was a Sicilian American lawyer. During World War II Mike abandoned his studies and joined a group of Italian partisans. He was captured and spent seven months in the San Vittore prison in Milan and was then deported to a German concentration camp. He was liberated before the end of the war due to an exchange of war prisoners between the United States and Germany. He returned to New York and in 1946 started work at the radio headquarters of Il Progresso Italo-Americano (The Italian-American Progress) newspaper.

Bongiorno returned to Italy in 1953. He appeared in the program Arrivi e partenze (Arrivals and Departures) on the TV channel RAI on the very first day of official public TV transmissions in Italy. From 1955 to 1959 he hosted the quiz show Lascia o raddoppia?, the Italian version of USA's The $64,000 Question. This was the first successful quiz show on Italian TV, and became one of the most famous Italian TV programs ever.