Who is Vanna White? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Vanna Marie Rosich

Age: 67 Years, 67 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: George Santo Pietro

father: Miguel Angel Rosich

mother: Joan Marie Rosich

children: Gigi Santo Pietro, Niko Santo Pietro

Partner: John Donaldson

Born Country: United States

Quotes By Vanna White Actresses

Height: 5'6" (168 cm), 5'6" Females

U.S. State: South Carolina

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Childhood & Early Life

Vanna White was born Vanna Marie Rosich on 18 February 1957, in Conway, South Carolina, USA, to Miguel Angel Rosich and Joan Marie. Miguel was of Puerto Rican descent. He abandoned the family when Vanna was just few months old. Hence, she was brought up by her mother.

Later, her mother married Herbert Stackley White. The family then moved to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Herbert worked as a real estate agent. Subsequently, Vanna was adopted by her stepfather and became Vanna White.

As a child, Vanna did not intend to become a television star nor did she watch television shows that often. Things changed when she had to undergo appendectomy at the age of 11. While recuperating, watching television shows became her favorite pastime.

While watching ‘The Rat Patrol,’ she realized that the part of ‘Sgt Sam Troy’ was being played by her uncle Christopher George. She was elated to know that her uncle was on TV and decided to follow in his footsteps.

After graduating high school, Vanna Joined ‘Atlanta School of Fashion’ in Atlanta, Georgia. During that period, she supported herself by taking up modeling assignments.

In 1979, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. She took up a number of jobs to sustain herself. However, she returned home for a brief period and stayed back to take care of her ailing mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, until her death in 1980.

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Career

After her mother’s death, Vanna White returned to Los Angeles and continued working as a waitress. Meanwhile, she managed to land small roles in films, such as ‘Looker’ (1981) and ‘Graduation Day’ (1981).

In 1982, Vanna appeared in an episode of TV series ‘Star of the Family.’ Later in November, she auditioned for ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ and was chosen out of 200 applicants to join the game show as a co-host and letter turner.

Vanna first joined ‘Wheel of Fortune’ on 13 December 1982. Since then, she has been acting as the show’s day time hostess. She also co-hosts the show with Pat Sajak in its evening version.

On September 1983, a syndicated version of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ was aired, post which Vanna White’s popularity began to increase. By 1986, the show had garnered 30 million viewers and grossed $100 million. By 1999, the number of viewers had reached 40 million.

On May 1987, Vanna published her biography ‘Vanna Speaks.’ Thanks to her huge popularity, the book became a best seller.

In 1988, Vanna appeared in ‘Goddess of Love,’ playing the role of ‘Venus.’ ‘Goddess of Love’ was a television film which aired on ‘NBC.’ Unfortunately, her performance could not attract positive reviews. The same year, she also appeared on ‘WrestleMania IV’ as a guest time keeper.

During 1990s, Vanna voiced prominent characters in two animated TV series. One was a Canadian animated television special called ‘The Real Story of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ (1992) and the other was ‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers,’ an American animated TV series, which ran from 1990 to 1996.

In 1994, she made a cameo appearance in ‘Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult,’ the final installment in the ‘Naked Gun’ film series. In 1996, she was cast as the main narrator and singer in the CD release of ‘Santa's Last Ride.’

She went on to make cameo appearances in several shows, such as ‘L.A. Law,’ ‘227,’ ‘Super Mario Bros. Super Show,’ ‘Simon and Simon,’ ‘The King of Queens,’ and ‘Full House.’ She also appeared as a guest-star on ‘Married...With Children.’ In 2017, she made a guest appearance in ‘Fresh Off the Boat.’

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Major Works

Vanna White first appeared on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ on 13 December 1982. Since then, she has been hosting the show regularly. ‘Wheel of Fortune’ increased her popularity, and made her a household name in the United States.

Philanthropic Works

Each year, Vanna donates a percentage of proceeds from the sale of her ‘Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn’ to ‘St. Jude’s Research Hospital.’

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1980, Vanna White started dating a dancer-turned-actor named John Gibson. Unfortunately, John died in an air crash in 1986. It was such a huge blow to Vanna that she had to take some time off from the show.

Vanna married George Santo Pietro, a restaurant owner, on 31 December 1990. The couple divorced 12 years later. She has two children named Nicholas (born in 1994) and Giovanna (born in 1997) from this marriage.

In 2004, Vanna got engaged to Michael Kaye, an important business person in southern California. However, they never married and the engagement was broken off in 2006.

At a point in time, Vanna was so popular that the word ‘Vannamania’ was coined to express the admiration she received from her millions of fans.

She received a star on ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ on April 2006.

Trivia

In 1992, Vanna White was mentioned in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ as ‘television’s most frequent clapper.’ It has been figured that she claps approximately 600 times per show.

Vanna White Biography