Bobby Rivers
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2023) |
Bobby Rivers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Bennett Rivers Jr. September 20, 1953 |
| Died | December 26, 2023(aged 70) Minneapolis,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Marquette University |
| Occupation(s) | Television and radio personality, actor |
| Years active | 1970s–2023 |
Robert Bennett Rivers Jr.(September 20, 1953 – December 26, 2023) was an American television and radio personality and actor. Rivers was the host of theTop 5show on theFood Network,andWatch Bobby Rivers,a prime-time celebrity talk show onVH1.
Early life and career
[edit]Rivers was born in Los Angeles in 1953, and grew up inSouth Central Los Angelesduring the tumultuous 1960's.[1]He graduated fromMarquette Universityin Wisconsin.[1]Rivers' first television appearance was as a high school student on a 1970 syndicated classic-film trivia game show. During those times onThe Movie Game,shot in Hollywood, he was the program's first African-American contestant, and its youngest winner.[citation needed]After working inMilwaukeeradio, he made his professional television debut in 1979 on Milwaukee'sABCaffiliate,WISN-TV,as the city's first African-American film critic on TV.[2]He did this as a contributor on Milwaukee's edition ofPM Magazine,a syndicated show that had national hosts, such asMatt Lauer,Mary HartandLeeza Gibbons.During that time, he was tapped to audition as a possible replacement as movie critic whenGene SiskelandRoger Ebertleft ChicagoPBSforDisneysyndication. In 1984, he had moved up to co-host and associate producer of a live weekday show on WISN.[citation needed]
After that show was canceled in 1985, Rivers was offered a job as an entertainment reporter forWPIX-TVin New York City. In 1987, he was hired as aVJby the American cable television channelVH1.Executives there utilized his comedic and interviewing skills, which led to his own show on the network the following year calledWatch Bobby Rivers.Stephen Holden ofThe New York Timescalled him "a master interviewer with a gift for banter".[3]On VH1, he interviewedPaul McCartney,Kirk Douglas,Meryl Streep,Mel Gibson,Carlos Santana,Raúl Juliá,Michael Caine,Mel Blanc,Jodie Foster,Liza Minnelli,Marlo ThomasandNorman Mailer,among others. He hosted veejay segments with the network's new addition,Rosie O'Donnell,until 1990.[4]
Rivers hosted two short-lived syndicated game shows, one of which was calledBedroom Buddies.In 1992, he was approached to be a lifestyles and entertainment reporter on localWNBC-TV'sWeekend Today in New YorkandWNYW-TV'sGood Day New York.For the latter, he was hired as a replacement for Australian personalityGordon Elliott,who had left.
Rivers performed onstage, and appeared on the television showThe Sopranos.In 2000, he was the entertainment editor onLifetime Live,anABC News/Lifetimeweekday magazine hour. He also worked on-camera with its hosts,Deborah Robertsand the lateDana Reeve.After the cancellation ofLifetime Live,he hostedFood Network'sTop 5in 2002. Production ended in 2004, but the show aired weekly with reruns until 2008.
Whoopi Goldberg,a one-time guest on Rivers' VH1 talk show, picked him to be the weekly film critic and entertainment reporter on her national weekday morning show forPremiere Radio,Wake Up with Whoopi.The show lasted from 2006 to 2008. DirectorSteven Soderberghused footage of Rivers' VH1 interview withSpalding Grayin his documentary about the late monologist and actor. The 2010 release was titledAnd Everything Is Going Fine.[5]Rivers moved into comedic acting, playing "Professor Robert Haige" inIn The Know,a satirical roundtable news segment inThe Onionnews network's videopodcast.
Beginning in 2011, Rivers wrote a blog about television and films calledBobby Rivers TV.[6]
In 2020, he was featured inThe Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show.He told writer and co-producerJoan Walshthat he remembered watching the show as a child with his family in Los Angeles. "He helped with my Belafonte documentary more than anyone but my co-producers and director -- and Mr. B. himself of course," Walsh said on social media after she learned he died.
Personal life and death
[edit]Rivers wasgay,never married nor had any children.[1]He died from cancer at a hospital inMinneapolis,Minnesota, December 26, 2023, at age 70.[1][7]
References
[edit]- ^abcdMather, Victor (December 29, 2023)."Bobby Rivers, Amiable and Multifaceted Television Host, Dies at 70".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 1,2024.
- ^"Life Lessons: Bobby Rivers"Rene Syler's, Good Enough Mother - Imperfection is the New Black. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^"What They're Saying..."ArchivedNovember 22, 2008, at theWayback MachineQuotes about and Reviews of Mr. Rivers. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^Singer, Bret"Looking Back"Snakle - Follow the Fame. March 19, 2012.
- ^Shapiro, Gregg' "Everything and more: With Kathleen Russo,January 13, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^"Bobby Rivers TV"Bobby Rivers TVaccessed January 17, 2015
- ^Fleury, Amy (December 27, 2023)."Former WISN 12 entertainment reporter Bobby Rivers dies".wisn.WISN-TV.RetrievedDecember 27,2023.