Gene Wood, 78; Announcer for Popular TV Game Shows
Gene Wood, 78, the announcer for some of television’s most popular game shows over the last 25 years, died May 21 at Massachusetts General Hospital, family members reported. The cause of death was not reported.
Born in Quincy, Mass., Wood served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater at Emerson College in Boston.
After college, he moved to New York City and started performing stand-up comedy, working for a time with high school friend Bill Dana. He also wrote for Bob Keeshan, television’s “Captain Kangaroo.”
He found work as a commercial actor in New York City and was host of the game show “Beat the Clock.”
Wood moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and worked steadily on a number of game shows produced by Mark Goodman. Those programs included “Family Feud,” “Password,” “Match Game” and “Classic Concentration.”
He retired from the world of game shows in the mid-1990s and moved to Rhode Island.
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