Dick Clark

Name at birth: Richard Wagstaff Clark

Dick Clark started as a television newscaster in Philadelphia in 1952, and four years later he was named host of Bandstand, a local show that showcased national music acts. Clark changed the tone of the show to appeal to teenagers and featured newer, younger acts who lip-synched to records while teens danced in the studio. In 1957 ABC began broadcasting Clark's American Bandstand nationally, and for years the hit show influenced American pop charts. It became one of the longest-running shows in television history, going into syndication after ABC cancelled it in 1987. Clark, whose eternally youthful appearance and musical interests earned him the nickname "America's oldest teenager," has produced and hosted several other shows, including The $10,000 Pyramid (later The $100,000 Pyramid), TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes (with co-host Ed McMahon), the perennial year-ender Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (which first aired in 1972), and the daytime talk show The Other Half (with Danny Bonaduce).