MONTY HALL

Monty Hall made ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ a game show staple in America but never forgot about Canada

Monty Hall made “Let’s Make a Deal” one of the most popular game shows in America for 23 years but the humble host never forgot his Canadian roots. 

Born Monte Halperin to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents in 1921, Monty grew up in a large, poor family in Winnipeg, Man.

An exceptionally bright kid, Monty finished high school at age 14 after skipping a few grades and started working to help support his family. He saved up enough money to start college but had to drop out after one year due to lack of funds.

A local businessman offered to pay for his college tuition as long as he agreed to pay it back and pay it forward later in life when he could afford it.

Even though Monty originally wanted to be a doctor, due to a secret quota of the number of Jewish students who could be admitted to medical school, he chose broadcasting.  

He worked at radio stations in Winnipeg and Toronto, where he also hosted a couple of TV shows, before moving to New York City. He secured a hosting gig for a show called “Keep Talking” in 1958 and “Your First Impression,” where he met producer Stefan Hatos.

The pair came up with “Let’s Make a Deal” that had contestants making split second decisions about prizes in 1963 and the rest is game show history.

“Monty Hall wasn’t just a really good host but he was a creator, he was a force to be reckoned with,” says Howie Mandel. 

“(He was) an amazing talent. One of the greatest contributors to game show history,” says Bob Boden, game show producer and development executive.

Monty, who had three children including Tony award-winner Joanna Gleeson, settled in Beverly Hills but never forgot about Canada. 

"You can take the boy out of Canada but you can't take Canada out of the boy," he once said. "I still follow and pull for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I still pull for Canada when they play the Olympic hockey."

He also lived up to his promise to pay it forward, raising nearly $1billion for charity in his lifetime, according to his daughter Sharon Hall.

Monty was named to both the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba and has stars on both Canada’s and Hollywood’s Walks of Fame.

He passed away Sept. 30, 2017 at the age of 96.