Fred Davis (10 August 1921 – 5 July 1996) was a Canadian broadcaster, best known as host of the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

programme '' Front Page Challenge'' for nearly all of its 38-year run. Born in Toronto, he became a trumpet player in his youth who performed at various concerts, particularly with the bands of Art Hallman and Howard Cable. At one point he was conductor of the Teentime Orchestra at CFRB radio. After serving in World War II, including performing in the Canadian Band of the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF th ...

under the direction of Robert Farnon, he returned to Toronto to study broadcasting at

Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadians, Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Bonanza#Lorne Greene – Ben CartwBen Cartwright ...

. His early radio career included

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

station CFRA since late 1946. In the early 1950s, Davis moved to television, as one of the hosts of the 1953-1954 documentary series '' On the Spot''. He began hosting the news-themed television quiz show ''Front Page Challenge'' in 1957, replacing host

Alex Barris Alex Paul Barris, (September 16, 1922 – January 15, 2004) was an American-born Canadian television actor and writer. Member of ACTRA, he was a writer and panelist for the game show ''Front Page Challenge''.

with whom the series began that summer. He remained host until the series was cancelled in 1995. He hosted commercials and other series during his career, although his primary work remained with ''Front Page Challenge''.

Death

Davis died age 74 at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto following multiple

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

s, leaving his fifth wife Joy Carroll Davis and five children (two sons and three daughters) from his earlier marriages, and his sister.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Fred 1921 births 1996 deaths Canadian game show hosts Musicians from Toronto Canadian military musicians Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Military personnel from Toronto Canadian military personnel of World War II