Larry Emdur

Larry Emdur (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian Gold Logie award winning television presenter.

Emdur is currently co-host of '' The Morning Show'' alongside Kylie Gillies, and host of '' The Chase Australia''.

The duo also hosted the Australian version of ''Celebrity Splash!''. Emdur hosted the Australian version of game show '' The Price Is Right'' on the Nine Network from 1993 to 1998, and from 2003 to 2005 and, then again, when the show returned to the Seven Network on 7 May 2012. The show was cancelled later that year.

Emdur is known to Australian audiences for hosting several other game shows, including '' Cash Bonanza'' (Nine Network), and '' Wheel of Fortune'' (Seven Network). Emdur hosted '' Hey Hey it's Saturday'' five times, once in 1994, twice in 1998, and twice, consecutively, in 1999, and substituted as host of '' It Takes Two'', once in 2006 and again in 2007. He has also hosted '' Celebrity Dog School'' on Network Ten.

Biography

Early life and career

Emdur grew up in a Jewish family near the beach in Bondi, New South Wales, and developed a keen interest in surfing from an early age. Dropping out of school at 15, Emdur began working as a copy boy at ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', before moving into television, where, at the age of 19, he became Australia's youngest national newsreader, presenting the overnight news for Seven Network in Australia.

After some time as a reporter and newsreader in news and current affairs, and a presenter on '' Good Morning Australia'', Emdur switched to hosting game shows and variety television.

TV host career

Emdur debuted as host of a national primetime television show in 1989, aged 24, fronting 10 TV Australia's ''Family Double Dare''. The show was an Australian version of the Nickelodeon franchise.

Emdur hosted of the local version ''The Price Is Right'' on the Nine Network, from 1993 to 1998, before its cancellation. It was revived on 23 June 2003 and ran until 24 November 2005, when it was again cancelled due to declining ratings and the high cost of production.

To commemorate the 40th season of the United States version in 2011–12, on a July 2011 trip to the United States, Emdur called down a contestant and served as a guest host for Cliff Hangers, under recommendation of host Drew Carey. Emdur also modelled a trip to Australia in one of the two showcases that are presented on the United States version. Emdur was one of numerous people who have hosted the format to appear as part of the 40th anniversary celebration.

Emdur filled in for Daryl Somers on the family show ''Hey Hey It's Saturday''. After being "rested" by the Nine Network following the cancellation of ''The Price Is Right'', Emdur became host of the Seven Network's '' Wheel of Fortune''. His contract with Seven was signed hours after his deal with the Nine Network expired. While in the first few weeks of his run with Seven's ''Wheel'' in the weekday timeslot, Emdur continued to appear simultaneously on Nine in re-runs of ''The Price Is Right'', until '' Bert's Family Feud'' took over the timeslot on Nine in mid-February 2006. On 19 June 2006, news emerged that ''Wheel of Fortune'' was to be cancelled at the end of the 2006 season. Channel 10's '' Rove Live'' then started a campaign to "Save Larry Emdur", although Seven soon put an end to Rove's jokes by issuing a statement that Emdur would be staying with the Seven Network.

Emdur has also been a fill-in host for '' It Takes Two'' and has filled in for Andrew O'Keefe on '' Weekend Sunrise'' and David Koch on ''Sunrise''.

Emdur signed up with Network Ten in 2007. He had joined up to host a new show '' Celebrity Dog School'', which began airing in February.

Emdur is currently co-hosting ''The Morning Show'' with Kylie Gillies, a morning talk show airing on the Seven Network, which began in mid-2007.

Emdur was invited to participate in the 2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race by finance commentator Anthony Bell. Upon reaching Hobart, Emdur said on ''The Morning Show'' that he might never set foot on a boat again. However, in 2010, Emdur signed on to participate in the Sydney to Hobart again. His crew on the yacht '' Investec LOYAL'' finished second. On 4 February 2011, Emdur renewed his contract with the Seven Network, reportedly worth in excess of $800,000 a year. That contract stopped him from defecting to the Nine Network to co-host '' Today''. The contract allowed him to stay on as co-host of ''The Morning Show'' and "other opportunities".

In February 2010, Seven announced that Emdur would co-host ''Weekend Sunrise'' on Saturday mornings, alongside Samantha Armytage, and he held that position until the end of 2010. Emdur has also been a regular fill-in co-host for Koch on ''Sunrise'' and Matt Doran on ''Weekend Sunrise'', if they are away on holidays, sick or on assignment.

In September 2013, Emdur produced and hosted a pilot for a late night talk show titled ''Larry on Late'' in Sydney, which featured guests Guy Sebastian, Samantha Armytage and Manon Youdale. The Seven Network passed on the show after viewing the pilot.

In December 2013, Emdur was a crew member aboard racing supermaxi yacht Perpetual Loyal in the 2013 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, with other celebrity crew members, Karl Stefanovic, Guillaume Brahimi, Tom Slingsby, Phil Waugh and Jude Bolton.

In 2014, Emdur, and co-host of ''The Morning Show'', Kylie Gillies, whose studio is across from the Sydney Lindt Cafe, were able to view and report on the events of the Martin Place siege as it unfolded, before transmission was handed over to the Seven Network Melbourne studios.

Emdur appeared in the fifteenth season of '' Dancing with the Stars''.

In 2021, Seven Network announced that Emdur would be the new host of '' The Chase Australia'', replacing Andrew O'Keefe, after the latter's contract was not renewed at the end of 2020, prior to his being charged over domestic violence in January 2021. However, according to reports, he was close to not renewing his contract with the Seven Network at the end of the previous year and was offered ''The Chase'' hosting role in a bid to keep him at the network. The episodes with Emdur as a host began airing on 26 July 2021, after the final episode of Andrew O'Keefe had aired on 20 July 2021.

In 2024, Emdur won the 2024 TV Week Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television

Personal life

Emdur married his wife Sylvie on 5 December 1994. They have two children.

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Emdur, Larry
1964 births
Australian game show hosts
Television personalities from Melbourne
Television personalities from Sydney
Living people