Eleanor Mondale

Eleanor Mondale
Eleanor Mondale Poling at theMinnesota State Fairin 2007
Born	Eleanor Jean Mondale (1960-01-19)January 19, 1960 Minneapolis,Minnesota,U.S.
Died	September 17, 2011(2011-09-17)(aged 51) Prior Lake, Minnesota,U.S.
Alma mater	St. Lawrence University
Known for	Radio and television host
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Keith Van Horne ​ ​ (m.1988;div.1989)​ Greg Malban ​ ​ (m.1991;div.1991)​ Chan Poling ​ (m.2005)​
Parent(s)	Walter Mondale Joan Mondale

Eleanor Jane Mondale Poling(January 19, 1960 – September 17, 2011) was an Americanradio personality,televisionhost, and actress.

Biography

Mondale was the only daughter ofJoan Mondaleand formerVice PresidentWalter Mondale.Her older brother is formerMinnesota State SenatorTheodore Adams "Ted" Mondale.Her younger brother isattorneyWilliam Hall Mondale, the former assistantAttorney General of Minnesota(1990–2000). For her senior year of high school, Mondale attended St. Timothy's, a boarding school outside of Baltimore. After graduating fromSt. Lawrence UniversityinCanton,New York,she moved to begin a career inHollywood.

Personal life

After she completed her college education, Mondale quickly earned a reputation in the media for being a "wild child", although she claimed many of the rumors were unfounded.She was married three times and had no children. She was involved with some high-profile men, including, reportedly, former PresidentBill Clinton,during his time in office.

Mondale's first marriage, to football playerKeith Van Horne,lasted from April 9, 1988, until August 1989, when Van Horne filed for divorce.In 1990, she dated rock singer-songwriterWarren Zevon,traveling on tour with him to Australia.She also datedWashington Redskinsoffensive tackleGeorge Starke.

Mondale's second marriage, from June 21, 1991, to November 1991, was to Greg Malban, a DJ known as Greg Thunder.

In 1999, Mondale sold her house in Los Angeles to move to New York to be with her then-boyfriend, New York plastic and reconstructive surgeon Joe DeBellis.

In June 2005, Mondale marriedMinneapolismusicianChan Polingof the groupThe New StandardsandThe Suburbs.Mondale and Poling lived on a small farm inMinnesota,where they raised miniature horses until her death.

Acting career

Mondale took time off from college in 1981 to move toHollywood.She worked briefly as an extra and had one speaking line in the TV series240-Robert.She then returned to St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, graduating in 1982. By January 1983, Mondale was back in Hollywood, where she had small roles on TV shows such asThree's Company,Dynasty,andMatt Houston.

Eleanor Mondale was a regular guest onHoward Stern'sE!TV showduring the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Journalism career

Mondale interviewedFred Thompsonat the 2007Minnesota State Fair.

Mondale began her journalism career while still in Los Angeles, taking a job atKABC-TVin 1985.She left the station in late 1985 and soon moved to Chicago, getting her first radio break as a helicopter reporter atWMAQ (AM).She continued taking fill-in radio news jobs at various Chicago radio stations, includingWCKG-FM.She also was waiting for the pilot of aKing World Productionsshow, "The Rock 'n Roll Evening News", to be sold.Within a few months the show began airing in national syndication, with Mondale working as its Midwest correspondent.

In 1986, Mondale signed a one-year contract with powerhouse Chicago radio stationWGN (AM)to appear as a frequent contributor to programs.In early 1987, Mondale joined Chicago radio stationWCKG-FMas a morning news anchor.In June 1987, Mondale shifted to being the co-host of WCKG's morning show alongside John Fisher.In early 1988, Mondale took a leave of absence from WCKG to collaborate with a Chicago writer on a book about the children of U.S. presidents.

In June 1989, Mondale took a job in Minneapolis as an entertainment reporter forWCCO-TV.In March 1990, Mondale quit unexpectedly just a few days before a local magazine was to publish a feature on Mondale titled "Walter and Joan's Wild Child".

After leaving WCCO and spending some time inAustralia,Mondale became a morning sidekick onWLOL-FMin Minneapolis, where she remained until the station was bought byMinnesota Public Radioin 1991.She also hosted "The Great American TV Poll" on theLifetimecable channel.

In April 1991, Mondale returned to Chicago's airwaves as a morning sidekick atWKQX,working alongside morning host Robert Murphy.Mondale and fellow sidekick Dan Walker were forced out of WKQX in January 1993.

After leaving WKQX, Mondale began working intelevision.In March 1993, Mondale andRobin Leachco-hosted a two-hour special on national television aboutMadonnatitled "Madonna Exposed".In early 1994, Mondale began working as a correspondent forNBC'sTodayshow.

In mid-1994, Mondale landed a job as anchor/host of "Q and E", a half-hour weekly celebrity show airing onE!,and was also a regular correspondent for the network's news division.In 1996, Mondale was hired byCBSas aLos Angeles-based correspondent forThis Morning.

Mondale also later hosted the E! showsWild Onin 1997 andE! News Live.She worked onESPNas a reporter on thehorse racingevents, which lasted two years (2002–2003). She covered forESPN2theProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association.After ESPN, she co-hostedThe World's Greatest Auto Showsfor theSpeed Channelin 2004 and 2005. She worked for theCBS TelevisionshowThis Morning.

In 2006, after battling brain cancer for the first time, Mondale signed on as a host at WCCO-AM.She remained there until 2009, when she left the airwaves to go on disability because of her cancer's recurrence.

In 2013, she was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Film career

Mondale had five speaking lines in the opening minutes of the 1991 filmDrop Dead Fred. She appeared in the 1999 filmGround Controlas Christine, and narrated the feature documentary filmFritz: The Walter Mondale Story(2008), which details the life of her father and aspects of her own childhood. She also appeared in the short filmMirage(2004), directed bySayer Freyand produced by Shelli Ainsworth.

Illness and death

After a bout of seizures, Mondale was diagnosed withbrain cancerin June 2005. In the summer of 2006, the cancer was in remission, but she announced in February 2008 that a small tumor had returned and that she would seek treatment at theMayo Clinic.Mondale was again diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2009 and was scheduled to undergo surgery later that month.She died from the disease at her home in Minnesota on September 17, 2011, at the age of 51.

See also

• List of people with brain tumors

External links

• Eleanor MondaleatIMDb