Fred Davis (10 August 1921 – 5 July 1996) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

broadcaster, best known as host of the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

programme ''

Front Page Challenge ''Front Page Challenge'' was a Canadian panel game about current events and history. Created by comedy writer/performer John Aylesworth (of the comedy team of Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth) and produced and aired by CBC Television, the s ...

'' for nearly all of its 38-year run. Born in Toronto, he became a trumpet player in his youth who performed at various concerts, particularly with the bands of Art Hallman and Howard Cable. At one point he was conductor of the Teentime Orchestra at CFRB radio. After serving in World War II, including performing in the Canadian Band of the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allies of World War II, Allied forces in northwest Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the ...

under the direction of

Robert Farnon Robert Joseph Farnon CM (24 July 191723 April 2005) was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works (often in the light music genre), he was commissioned by film and ...

, he returned to Toronto to study broadcasting at Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts. His early radio career included

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

station CFRA since late 1946. In the early 1950s, Davis moved to television, as one of the hosts of the 1953-1954 documentary series '' On the Spot''. He began hosting the news-themed television quiz show ''Front Page Challenge'' in 1957, replacing host

Alex Barris Alex Paul Barris, (September 16, 1922 – January 15, 2004) was an American-born Canadian television actor and writer. Member of ACTRA, he was a writer and panelist for the game show ''Front Page Challenge''.

with whom the series began that summer. He remained host until the series was cancelled in 1995. He hosted commercials and other series during his career, although his primary work remained with ''Front Page Challenge''.

Death

Davis died age 74 at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto following multiple

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

s, leaving his fifth wife Joy Carroll Davis and five children (two sons and three daughters) from his earlier marriages.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Fred 1921 births 1996 deaths Canadian game show hosts Musicians from Toronto Canadian military musicians Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Military personnel from Toronto Canadian military personnel of World War II