Dick Clark (Richard Wagstaff Clark)
Photos with Dick Clark
Biography
Mount Vernon, New York, USA
Dick Clark was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York on November 30, 1929 to Julia Fuller and Richard Augustus Clark. He had one older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II. At the age of 16, Clark got his first job in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in Utica, New York, which was owned by his uncle and managed by his father. He worked his way up the ranks and was promoted to weatherman before becoming a radio announcer. Read more... and television stations before landing at WFIL radio in 1952. While working at the station, Clark became a substitute host for Bob Horn's Bandstand, an afternoon program where teenagers danced to popular music, broadcast by WFIL's affiliated television station. In 1956, Horn was arrested for drunk driving, giving Clark the perfect opportunity to step in as the full-time host.
After acquiring nationwide distribution the newly reformatted program, now titled "American Bandstand", premiered on ABC on August 5, 1957. In addition to the name change, Clark added interviews with artists (starting with Elvis Presley), lip-sync performances, and "Rate-a-Record," allowing teens to judge the songs on the show - and giving birth to the popular phrase, "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it." Clark also established a formal dress code, mandating dresses and skirts for the women and a coat and tie for the men. But perhaps the most impactful change that Clark made to the show was ending "American Bandstand's" all-white policy, allowing African American artists to perform on the show.
Under Clark's influence, "Bandstand" became one of the most successful and longest-running musical programs, featuring artists including Chuck Berry, the Doors, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and Smokey Robinson. Sonny and Cher, The Jackson 5, Prince, and Aerosmith were among the influential artists and bands that made their television debuts on "Bandstand", which is also credited with helping to make America more accepting of rock 'n' roll.
With the success of "American Bandstand", Clark became more invested in the music publishing and recording businesses, and began managing artists, hosting live sock hops, and arranging concert tours. But in 1960, when the United States Senate began investigating "payola", the practice in which music producing companies paid broadcasting companies to favor their products, Clark became caught up in the scandal. The investigation found he had partial copyrights to over 150 songs, many of which were featured on his show. Clark denied he was involved in any way, but admitted to accepting a fur and jewelry from a record company president. In the end, the Senate could not find any illegal actions by Clark, but ABC asked Clark to either sell his shares in these companies or leave the network so there was no conflict of interest. He chose to sell and continue on as host of "American Bandstand", which was unaffected by the scandal.
In 1964, Clark moved Bandstand from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and became more involved in television production. Under his company Dick Clark Productions, he produced such shows as "Where the Action Is", "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes", and more recently, "So You Think You Can Dance", as well as made-for-television movies including "Elvis", "The Birth of the Beatles", "Wild Streets", and "The Savage Seven". Clark also hosted television's "$10,000 Pyramid", "TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes" (with co-host Ed McMahon), "Scattergories", and "The Other Half". Clark also had several radio programs, including "The Dick Clark National Music Survey", "Countdown America", and "Rock, Roll & Remember".
In 1972, he produced and hosted the very first edition of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve", a musical program where Clark counted down until the New Year ball dropped in Times Square, featuring taped performances from musical artists. "New Year's Rockin' Eve" soon became a cultural tradition, airing on ABC every year with Clark as host (except in 1999 when ABC aired "ABC 2000: Today", a news milestone program hosted by Peter Jennings). In December 2004, Clark suffered a minor stroke and was unable to host, so Regis Philbin stepped in as a substitute. The following year, Clark returned as co-host alongside primary host Ryan Seacrest. Many were worried about Clark due to his slurred and breathless speech, and he admitted on-air he was still recovering but that he wouldn't have missed the broadcast for the world. The following year, Seacrest became "New Year's Rockin' Eve's" primary host, but Clark always returned for the countdown.
Clark has received several notable awards including four Emmy Awards, the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Peabody Award in 1999. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1976, The Radio Hall of Fame in 1990, Broadcasting Magazine Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Clark had been in St. John's hospital in Los Angeles after undergoing an outpatient procedure the night of April 17, 2012. Clark suffered a massive heart attack following the procedure. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he died the next morning of April 18, 2012.
After acquiring nationwide distribution the newly reformatted program, now titled "American Bandstand", premiered on ABC on August 5, 1957. In addition to the name change, Clark added interviews with artists (starting with Elvis Presley), lip-sync performances, and "Rate-a-Record," allowing teens to judge the songs on the show - and giving birth to the popular phrase, "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it." Clark also established a formal dress code, mandating dresses and skirts for the women and a coat and tie for the men. But perhaps the most impactful change that Clark made to the show was ending "American Bandstand's" all-white policy, allowing African American artists to perform on the show.
Under Clark's influence, "Bandstand" became one of the most successful and longest-running musical programs, featuring artists including Chuck Berry, the Doors, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and Smokey Robinson. Sonny and Cher, The Jackson 5, Prince, and Aerosmith were among the influential artists and bands that made their television debuts on "Bandstand", which is also credited with helping to make America more accepting of rock 'n' roll.
With the success of "American Bandstand", Clark became more invested in the music publishing and recording businesses, and began managing artists, hosting live sock hops, and arranging concert tours. But in 1960, when the United States Senate began investigating "payola", the practice in which music producing companies paid broadcasting companies to favor their products, Clark became caught up in the scandal. The investigation found he had partial copyrights to over 150 songs, many of which were featured on his show. Clark denied he was involved in any way, but admitted to accepting a fur and jewelry from a record company president. In the end, the Senate could not find any illegal actions by Clark, but ABC asked Clark to either sell his shares in these companies or leave the network so there was no conflict of interest. He chose to sell and continue on as host of "American Bandstand", which was unaffected by the scandal.
In 1964, Clark moved Bandstand from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and became more involved in television production. Under his company Dick Clark Productions, he produced such shows as "Where the Action Is", "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes", and more recently, "So You Think You Can Dance", as well as made-for-television movies including "Elvis", "The Birth of the Beatles", "Wild Streets", and "The Savage Seven". Clark also hosted television's "$10,000 Pyramid", "TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes" (with co-host Ed McMahon), "Scattergories", and "The Other Half". Clark also had several radio programs, including "The Dick Clark National Music Survey", "Countdown America", and "Rock, Roll & Remember".
In 1972, he produced and hosted the very first edition of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve", a musical program where Clark counted down until the New Year ball dropped in Times Square, featuring taped performances from musical artists. "New Year's Rockin' Eve" soon became a cultural tradition, airing on ABC every year with Clark as host (except in 1999 when ABC aired "ABC 2000: Today", a news milestone program hosted by Peter Jennings). In December 2004, Clark suffered a minor stroke and was unable to host, so Regis Philbin stepped in as a substitute. The following year, Clark returned as co-host alongside primary host Ryan Seacrest. Many were worried about Clark due to his slurred and breathless speech, and he admitted on-air he was still recovering but that he wouldn't have missed the broadcast for the world. The following year, Seacrest became "New Year's Rockin' Eve's" primary host, but Clark always returned for the countdown.
Clark has received several notable awards including four Emmy Awards, the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Peabody Award in 1999. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1976, The Radio Hall of Fame in 1990, Broadcasting Magazine Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Clark had been in St. John's hospital in Los Angeles after undergoing an outpatient procedure the night of April 17, 2012. Clark suffered a massive heart attack following the procedure. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he died the next morning of April 18, 2012.
Actor

Character:
Himself - New Year's Eve
Forrest Gump 1994
123

Character:
Disk Jockey KFIL Philadelphia
Jamboree! 1957
23

Character:
Himself - Trailer Host
Gidget 1959
3

Character:
Neil Hendry
Because They're Young 1960
3

Character:
Himself - Host
Celebrity Party 1963
2

Character:
TV Newscaster
Wild in the Streets 1968
10

Character:
Roger
Killers Three 1968
16

Character:
Himself
Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights 1980
11

Character:
Himself - In Memoriam
19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013
0

Character:
Himself
The 40th Anniversary American Music Awards 2012
0

Character:
Himself - Host
Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012 2011
0

Character:
Himself
Precious 2009
28

Character:
Himself
2009 Game Show Awards 2009
0

Character:
Himself
Celebrity Debut 2006
0

Character:
Himself
VH1 Rock Docs 2006
0

Character:
Himself
Tangled Up in Blue 2004
0

Character:
Himself - Presenter
The 14th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards 2003
0

Character:
Himself
ABC 50th Anniversary Blooper Celebration 2003
0

Character:
Himself
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 2002
29

Character:
Himself - Host
American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary Celebration 2002
0

Character:
Himself
Television in America: An Autobiography 2002
0

Character:
Financier
Spy Kids 2001
26

Character:
Himself
The Suburbans 1999
19

Character:
Himself
The 26th Annual American Music Awards 1999
0

Character:
Himself
The 22nd Annual American Music Awards 1995
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Sea World/Busch Gardens Party for the Planet 1995
0

Character:
Himself
Rudy Coby: The Coolest Magician on Earth 1995
0

Character:
Himself
Will You Marry Me? 1994
0

Character:
Himself - Host
Miss Universe Pageant 1993
0

Character:
Himself
What About Me? I'm Only 3! 1992
0

Character:
Himself - Host
American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary Special 1992
0

Character:
Himself - Host
Miss Universe Pageant 1991
0

Character:
Himself
The 12th Annual CableACE Awards 1991
0

Character:
Himself -host
Miss Teen USA 1991 1991
0

Character:
Himself
Night of 100 Stars III 1990
0

Character:
Himself - Host
1990 Miss USA Pageant 1990
0

Character:
Himself - Host
Miss USA Pageant 1990
0

Character:
Himself - Host
The Songwriter's Hall of Fame 20th Anniversary... The Magic of Music 1989
4

Character:
Himself - Host
America Votes the #1 Song 1986
4

Character:
Himself - Host
American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration 1985
1

Character:
Himself
Here's Television Entertainment 1983
1

Character:
Himself
The 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards 2010
0

Character:
Himself - Host
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Secrest 2011 2010
1

Character:
Himself
Good Day Live 2001
0

Character:
Himself
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street 2001
1

Character:
Himself
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story 2006
0

Character:
Himself
WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History 2013
0

Character:
Dick Clark
The One with the Monkey 1994
2

Character:
Himself
Treehouse of Horror X 1999
4

Character:
Himself
The Philadelphia Story 1994
0

Character:
Himself
I, Whoops, There It Is 1996
0

Character:
Himself
Millennium 1999
0

Character:
Himself
The British Invasion 2014
54

Character:
Himself
Murphy Brown 1988
0

Character:
Dick Clark
The Odd Couple 1970
0

Character:
Himself
The Wrecking Crew 2008
2

Character:
Himself
Donahue 1967
0

Character:
Himself
Muppet Babies 1984
0

Character:
Dr. David Langley
Ben Casey 1961
0

Character:
J.H. Alpert
Lassie 1954
0

Character:
Sergeant Andy Kincaid
Stoney Burke 1962
0

Character:
PR Agent Payton
Honey West 1965
0

Character:
Gil Knox
Burke's Law 1963
0

Character:
Himself
The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters 1972
0

Character:
Himself
The Arsenio Hall Show 1989
0

Character:
J. Benson
Adam-12 1968
0

Character:
Himself
The Kraft Music Hall 1967
0

Character:
Himself
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever 1983
0

Character:
Himself
Night of 100 Stars II 1985
0

Character:
Himself
The Regis Philbin Show 1981
0

Character:
Himself - Host
The Big Show 1980
0

Character:
Himself
Police Squad! 1982
0

Character:
Himself
The Return of Bruno 1987
0

Character:
Himself
The Wil Shriner Show 1987
0

Character:
Himself - In Memoriam
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards 2013
29

Character:
Himself
Breakaway 1983
0

Character:
Himself
Later with Bob Costas 1988
0

Character:
Himself
The Dick Cavett Show 1968
0

Character:
Himself
Bowling for Columbine 2002
16

Character:
Himself
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues 1988
0

Character:
Himself
Paul Williams Still Alive 2011
0

Character:
Himself
Night of 100 Stars 1982
1

Character:
Himself
The Jim Nabors Show 1978
0

Character:
Himself - Host / Nominee
The 8th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards 1981
0

Character:
Himself
Arista Records' 25th Anniversary Celebration 2000
0

Character:
Himself
The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 2006
0

Character:
Himself
The Television Annual: 1978/1979 1979
0

Character:
Himself
Meredith Baxter, Rapper T.I. & Downtown Julie Brown 0
0

Character:
Himself
Fear is Just a Four-Letter Word 0
0

Character:
Himself
Finding My Voice 0
0

Character:
Himself
Endless Love 0
0

Character:
Himself
Episode #1.132 0
0

Character:
Himself
Episode #3.208 0
0

Character:
Himself
Pilot 0
0

Character:
Himself
Top 7 Redux 0
5

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dick Clark/Wu-Tang Clan 0
0

Character:
Dick Clark
You Don't Know Jack 0
0

Character:
Himself
Episode #1.1 0
0

Character:
Himself
Elvis Presley 0
0
Writing

Character:
Roger
Killers Three 1968
16