Peter Tomarken
| Peter Tomarken | |
|---|---|
Tomarken in a 1983 publicity photo for the game show Press Your Luck.
|
|
| Born |
Peter David Tomarken December 7, 1942 Olean, New York |
| Died | March 13, 2006 (aged 63) Santa Monica, California |
| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Television personality |
| Years active | 1976–2003 |
| Spouse(s) |
Dana Jones (m. 1963; div. 1991) Kathleen Abigail Tomarken (m. 1993; d. 2006) |
| Children | 3 |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 13, 2006 |
| Summary | In-flight engine failure (caused by improper repair to the engine) |
| Site | Santa Monica Bay, California |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft Bonanza A36 |
| Operator | Private |
| Registration | N16JR |
| Flight origin |
Santa Monica Airport Santa Monica, California |
Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942 – March 13, 2006) was an American television personality primarily known as the host of Press Your Luck.
Tomarken was born in Olean, New York, the middle son of Barnett and Pearl Tomarken, who owned Dee's Jewelry store in Olean. His family was Jewish. They relocated to Beverly Hills, California in the early 1950s. Peter graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1960 and from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in English.
After graduating college, Tomarken married his first wife, Dana, who later served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education from 1985-93. He and Dana had three children: Jason, and fraternal twin sisters, Alexis and Candace.
Tomarken worked on the magazines Women's Wear Daily and Business Week in New York City during the late 1960s before moving back to California to work at various advertising agencies. He made an appearance as a reporter in the 1978 film Heaven Can Wait.
He later started his own advertising firm, which put him behind and in front of the camera for many commercials in the late 1970s. His agent then suggested that he should try his hand at game show hosting, to which Tomarken replied, "Why would I want to do that?" His agent said, "Because you work four days a month and get paid six figures!" After a pair of failed pilots for NBC — Rodeo Drive in October 1980 (later picked as a series for Lifetime) and Duel in the Daytime in August 1981, both produced by Jay Wolpert — Tomarken got his first network job as host of Hit Man for NBC; it lasted just thirteen weeks, from January 3 to April 1 of 1983. Also, he briefly co-anchored a news show on Playboy TV in New York City at the same time. Tomarken was then offered the hosting job for Press Your Luck, which he hosted for three seasons on CBS from 1983-1986.
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