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Robin Leach

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Robin Leach
Born
Robin Douglas Leach

(1941-08-29) 29 August 1941 (age 82)
Harrow, Middlesex, England
Occupation(s)Television personality, entertainment reporter, writer, columnist
Years active1982–present
SpouseNone

Robin Douglas Leach (born 29 August 1941) is an English-born American entertainment reporter and writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors. His voice is often parodied by other actors with his signature phrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams." During the final season, he was assisted by Shari Belafonte, and the show was renamed, Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. Leach resides in Las Vegas.

Early life

During grammar school at Harrow County School for Boys, 10 miles (16 km) from London, he edited a school magazine, The Gayton Times, at age 14. At age 15 he became a general news reporter for the Harrow Observer and started a monthly glossy town magazine at age 17.[citation needed]

Career

Leach moved on to the Daily Mail as Britain's youngest "Page One" reporter, at age 18. In 1963, he emigrated to America and wrote for a number of publications (New York Daily News, People, Ladies Home Journal etc.) before launching GO Magazine[1] and then was show business editor of The Star.

Other television work includes reporting for People Tonight, on CNN and Entertainment Tonight and helping start Good Morning Australia, as well as the Food Network. Leach was also a guest at World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania IV, where he read the rules for the championship tournament. In 1993, for the Fox network, Leach hosted an exposé documentary of Madonna titled "Madonna Xposed." The documentary was a biography of Madonna focusing on her career and publicity stunts. Before the documentary aired, he gave Madonna a cell phone number; he claimed that at any point during the airing Madonna could call Leach and argue any point. Madonna never called and the documentary continued without incident. He also hosted Lifestyles spinoff Fame, Fortune & Romance, along with future Today Show host Matt Lauer.

Leach hosted The Surreal Life: Fame Games on VH1 in 2007. He also served as the public address announcer for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Since 2008, he had resided in Las Vegas and writes for the Las Vegas Sun and the daily VegasDeluxe.com website.[2]

Leach appeared in the documentary film Maxed Out in 2006, which chronicled the rise of the credit card industry in the U.S. along with increased personal debt among working class people and criticized that industry's practices. Leach remarks, "Nobody would watch Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown". The comment was highlighted by a review in the Baltimore Sun.[3]

Other appearances

  • He appeared as himself in Roseanne after the Connors win the lottery, with Robin remarking, "Beer wishes and nacho dreams!"
  • He appeared as himself in the feature film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989.
  • He appeared as himself in Season 2 Episode 17 of Boy Meets World in 1995.[4]
  • He appeared as himself in Season 1 Episode 3 of "Bill Nye the Science Guy"
  • He was interviewed on "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" in 1997.
  • He made a cameo appearance in Jermaine Dupri's video "Ballin' Out of Control" in 2001.
  • He made an appearance on Penn and Teller: Bullshit! in Season 3 Episode 13, "The Best", in 2005.
  • He appeared in "Shark Tank" Season 4 Episode 3 as spokesman for Rock Band Fashion, in 2012.[5]
  • He made a cameo appearance in an Old Navy commercial along with Nancy Kerrigan in 2012.
  • He introduced the final episode in the 1st season of TV show "Sledge Hammer!" in 1986.
  • He appeared in an April 2014 episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" swapping partners with Eric Roberts.
  • Rapper Big L named his debut album Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous a play off of the TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
  • He is mentioned in The Notorious B.I.G's "Juicy".
  • He is parodied in an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • In 1995, Lost Boyz debuted "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Shameless" single, a parody of the Rich and Famous motto.
  • In 2002, rock band Good Charlotte released their single Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous from their second studio album, The Young and the Hopeless.
  • He is mentioned in Fergie and Ludacris' song "Glamorous", along with the Rich and Famous motto.
  • He is mentioned in the songs "Grove Street Party Remix" and "Beat Without Bass" from Lil Wayne's mixtape, 'Sorry For the Wait'. Wayne also mentions him in "Burn" on the mixtape, 'Dedication 4'.
  • He is mentioned in the Jimmy Buffett song, "King of Somewhere Hot".
  • He is mentioned in the Marie Gonsalves song, "Siren City".
  • He is mentioned in the Phil Keggy song "Ain't Got No".
  • He is mentioned in the Warren G feat. Mack 10 song "I Want it All" by Mack 10
  • His program "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is referenced in the 1987 Act single "Snobbery and Decay"
  • He is mentioned in the Ryan Leslie song "Swiss Francs"("..lifestyle is extravagant, word to Robin Leach..")
  • He is mentioned in the video game Popful Mail for the Sega CD (though his name is misspelled as Robyn)[6]
  • He is parodied by Dana Carvey on SNL's Weekend Update with Dennis Miller[7]
  • He is parodied in the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Henny Youngman Day"

References

  1. ^ "GO Magazine". Musicradio 77 WABC. Retrieved 14 September 2013. GO Magazine was a North America-wide free newspaper/magazine that was distributed between 1967 and 1969.
  2. ^ "Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch". Greenspun Interactive Media. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  3. ^ Eileen Ambrose. "Movie about credit-card woes was to be a comedy". Baltimore Sun.
  4. ^ "On the Air". Boy Meets World. Season 2. Episode 17. 10 February 1995. ABC.
  5. ^ "Shark Tank — Season 4 Week 3". Shark Tank. Season 4. Episode 3. 28 September 2012. ABC. Retrieved 8 April 2013. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ i6.minus.com
  7. ^ "Dana Carvey as Robin Leach". Yahoo Screen. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
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