Vanna White is an American actress who was born on 18th February 1957. She is best known for hosting the Wheel of Fortune TV show since 1982. Vanna who’s 5ft 6in tall has been known to have been involved in a number of high profile relationships, engagements, and marriages. Vanna White enjoys an enormous media following and receives a barrage of fan mail, numbering in the thousands of pieces each week, from the Wheel of Fortune’s worldwide viewing audience of 100 million. Vanna also holds a world record for having displayed the greatest quantity of apparel on television – 5,500 outfits so far. For 37 years, Vanna White has appeared on Wheel of Fortune, turning letters as contestants solve puzzles, But she finally got her chance to host the show on Monday in the wake of Pat Sajak's absence. The 62-year-old beauty stepped up as host after Sajak, 73, had to undergo emergency surgery for a blocked intestine, USA Today reported.
Vanna White Biography
Celebrity Name: | Vanna White |
Birth Name: | Vanna Marie Rosich |
Birth Date: | February 18, 1957 |
Age: | 63 years old |
Birth Place: | Conway, South Carolina, United States |
Gender: | Female |
Nationality: | American |
Height: | 5ft6in |
Weight: | 58kg |
Sexuality: | Straight |
Profession: | TV hostess ; Actress |
Marital Status: | Divorced |
Spouse (Name): | John Gibson (1980 – 1986) ; Santo Pietro (1990 – 2002) |
Children: | Nicholas ; Giovanna |
Net Worth: | $70 million |
Last Updated : | March, 2020 |
Popularly, Vanna White is known to be the hostess, co-host and puzzle-board turner of the American game show “Wheel of Fortune”. Vanna White is an American TV personality and an actress. She is currently 63 years old and her physical statistics are: height – 5ft 6in, and weight – 58kg (105 pounds). In this article, we will be sharing with you; Vanna White net worth, her biography TV personality career and many more.
Vanna White Biography
Vanna White’s birth name is Vanna Marie Rosich. She was born on the 18th of February, 1957 in Conway, South Carolina, United States. Her parents are Joan Marie Nicholas and Miguel Angel Rosich. While Vanna White was yet a baby, her parents got divorced which led to her being raised by her mother and her stepfather, Herbert White Jr., a former real estate broker, in North Myrtle Beach. As a result, Vanna adopted the surname of her stepfather “White”.
For her education, Vanna White relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she enrolled at The Atlanta School of Fashion and Design, after graduating from high school. There, she worked as a model.
Vanna White Career Life
In 1979, Vanna White went to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film acting. However, prior to her appearance on TV screen in 1980, Vanna White contested in the Miss Georgia USA 1978 pageant. Vanna White first appeared in a TV game show when she featured as a contestant on June 20, 1980. Later in the same year, Vanna White was involved in the production of an incomplete movie; which was finally edited and released as Gypsy Angels, ten years later in June 1990. Vanna White also published her autobiography “Vanna Speaks”, in 1987. The American TV personality has also featured in various TV shows via cameos in: The King of Queens, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Full House, L.A Law, Simon and Simon, and 227. In addition, she has also made cameo appearances in films such as Double Dragon (1994) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). Through the course of her career, she has featured as guest timekeeper and backstage interviewer for WrestleMania IV. Vanna White began her career as a TV hostess on Wheel of Fortune game show in 1982 after the previous show’s hostess, Susan Stafford left in October 1982. It is safe to say that Wheel of Fortune will continue to be a stable contribution to Vanna White net worth and income as her contract as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune will last till 2022.
Over the course of her career, Vanna White has worn over 6,500 dresses on the TV shows and she never wore the same cloth twice. An interesting fact about Vanna White is that she has clapped at least 3,480,864 times across the show’s 30 seasons. Also, she has appeared in all but 10 of Wheel of Fortune’s 5,754 episodes which began on September 19, 1983. Vanna White has also lent her voice to two different animated programs: the Canadian animated television special The Real Story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and the American animated TV series – Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
Vanna White Personal Life and Relationships
In the 1980’s, Vanna White was in a relationship with John Gibson. However, few years later, John Gibson died in a plane crash. Thereafter, White got married to George Santo Pietro in December 1990. Later in September 1992, she announced that she was pregnant, but however, lost the baby in a miscarriage. In 1994, she gave birth to her first child for Santo Pietro; a son whom they named Nicholas. In 1997, she again gave birth to another child, a daughter named Giovanna (Gigi). Vanna White’s marriage to Santo Pietro was dissolved by a divorce in November 2002. Thereafter, she got engaged to Michael Kaye, a businessman, from 2004 – 2006.
Vanna White Awards and Recognitions
One of the notable accolades accredited to Vanna White’s name is the prestigious occasion of being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 20, 2006 at 7018 Hollywood Blvd. Also, Vanna White has a Guinness World Record certificate for most frequent clapper, which was presented to her on the 24th of May, 2013.
Vanna White Net Worth
Vanna White net worth is currently estimated to be $70 million. She earns an annual salary of $10 million from her career as a hostess on Wheel of Fortune. In addition, part of the source of her net worth comes from her previous marriage to very wealthy real estate developer/restaurateur, George Santo Pietro. Also, Vanna White’s Samsung lawsuit can not be ignored. In 1993, she successfully sued the Samsung Electronics Company over a commercial that featured a smiling robot turning letters on a game show. She claimed that the company was copying her likeness without her authorized permission. In the end, the case ended up in Vanna White’s favor with the payment of $403,000 in damages. In addition to her net worth, Vanna White has her own line of yarns called “Vanna’s Choice” through Lion Brand Yarns. She also invests in apartment buildings. In all, Vanna White’s book “Vanna Speaks” records high sales and is listed as another source of White’s income.
Conclusion
These are the necessary details about Vanna White net worth and her biography. She has proven to be one of the best hostesses, when it comes to television shows. Despite being in her 60’s, she is not showing any sign of a retirement even we speak now. We can expect more beautiful appearances from this renowned TV hostess and actress.
To people outside of the United States who do not pay attention to the game show scene of American television, the name ‘Vanna White’ would most likely not mean much. However, to residents and fans of the show, Wheel of Fortune, the name is about as integral to the show as Pat Sajak himself; through the show, Vanna White has become one of America’s most recognizable personalities and has also earned an enormous net worth which keeps getting more attractive.
A former beauty pageant, Vanna White, is among the few TV personalities with the longest-running presence on television, and in this article, we examine just how much impact that feat has had on her net worth. We also take a look at her other sources of income. Scroll below to learn more.
What is Vanna White’s Net Worth?
Vanna White’s official title on Wheel of Fortune is ‘game show co-host’; it’s a spot she has shared with Pat Sajak, one of America’s most iconic faces since 1982 and it has helped her to a personal net worth of $70 million, according to reliable sources.
Her incredible net worth mostly comes from more than four decades as a television personality. She has worked as an actress, a game show co-host, and outside of television where she bags her impressive paychecks, she is a real estate investor and an entrepreneur. We took a closer look at how she makes her money below.
How Does She Make Her Money?
Vanna White Retirement
We have established that Vanna White has a net worth of $70 million and that the bulk of her net worth has links to her most significant career role as the co-host of Wheel of Fortune. As we explore her stint on the widely acclaimed TV show, we will also examine her other sources of income.
Vanna White’s Stint As A Game Show Co-Host
For the South Carolina-born game show host, she recorded her first appearance in that capacity in 1980 when she appeared in an episode of The Price is Right. It was not a particularly spectacular run on the show, but she left enough of an impression to be selected among one of three substitute hostesses of Wheel of Fortune after Susan Stafford left the game show in October 1982.
She was officially appointed the permanent hostess of the show in December of 1982 and had been working in the role ever since. Her exact contract journey since she assumed the position is unknown, but she is currently earning $10 million in salary annually on the show, all for four days of work per month, which frees her up to pursue other ventures that have contributed to her net worth. Pat Sajak, on the other hand, receives a whopping $15 million as his annual salary.
Vanna White’s Earnings From Acting
Vanna White Retiring From Wheel
Just before Vanna White became one half of the iconic duo of Wheel of Fortune, she made her debut as an actress in the TV movie, Midnight Offerings (1981), playing the character, Devona. In the same year, she appeared in the film, Graduation Day, playing Doris.
Though she traded her budding career as an actress for game show hosting, she has continued to make appearances in dramatized productions, often playing herself in shows and films.
Vanna White Reddit Photos
So far, Vanna White has appeared in more than 15 movies and TV shows, including relatively recent titles like Fresh Off the Boat, The King of Queens, and several others. Her income for each movie/TV show appearance is unknown, but with more than 15 credits to her name, Vanna White’s acting career has been a contributor to her impressive net worth.
Entrepreneurship
When you only have to work four days a month, you are free to pursue other interests and that is what Vanna White has done. A fan of crochet and knitting, she has leveraged her hobby into a business by creating a line of yarns called Vanna’s Choice, which she sells through Lion Brand Yarns.
It is difficult to tell how much of Vanna White’s net worth comes from her yarn business, but aside from the income, it provides an opportunity for Vanna to share something with her daughter, with whom she regularly goes yarn shopping.
Her Real Estate Ventures
Other ways through which Vanna White makes her money and earns her net worth is through real estate, where she has significant investments that include houses and apartment buildings. How large an investment? Well, she reportedly listed a house in Beverly Hills for $47.5 million. This was in 2017 and the TV game show hostess is not resting on her oars just yet.
With such significant business interests, it is difficult not to see why the game show co-host is worth $70 million.
Outside of the above-listed means, Vanna White’s net worth has also come from her published book, an autobiography – Vanna Speaks, which she released in 1987. She was also once awarded $403,000 in damages from a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics.
How Does Vanna White Spend Her Millions?
Vanna White has been spinning the Wheel of Fortune for more than three decades and still seems to be aging backward. She surely invests her money in taking good care of herself to keep her brand alive. Although we can’t say she loves a lavish life, White sure loves the good things of life, including mansions and flashy cars like her 2016 Dodge Viper ACR. She has also been spotted in a car that can equally float on water and we wonder what next she has up her sleeves.
Asides spending her money on herself, Vanna White is also big on charity and contributes to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In her capacity as a patron, she has donated $1.8 million so far with future plans to keep up the good work even after retirement.