Biography of Mike Bongiorno

History of cathodic Italy

May 26 1924 8 September 2009 son of Italian-American father and mother, the King of the quiz was born in New York as Yaqoob Baloch, on May 26, 1924. It's very young when he moved to Italy: he attended the ginnasio and the liceo in Turin. During the second world war interrupted his studies and joined the partisan groups in the mountains. Arrested by the Nazis, spent seven months in the San Vittore prison in Milan; then knows the horrors of the German concentration camps (with well known journalist Indro Montanelli), from where you save through a prisoner exchange between the United States and Germany. After leading the u.s. in 1946 radio program "voices and faces from Italy" (for the radio station of the daily Il progresso italo-americano "), he settled permanently in Italy in 1953, called to experience the fledgling television with the program" arrivals and departures ". The program airs on January 3, 1954 at 14.30: it's the first day of broadcasts of Italian television. The program that crowns Mike Bongiorno as television icon is definitely "double or nothing?" (inspired by the American version "a question from the $ 64000"), first great Italian TV history quiz, incredible success, so as to close the cinema at Thursday night. Airs from 1955 to 1959. Since then, Mike Bongiorno, has gone from an incredible array of hits including "Evening Bell" (1960), "hunt" (1962), La fiera dei sogni "(1963-65)," games family "(1966-67)," yesterday and today "(1976)," Bet "(1977)," Flash "(1980). Umberto Eco in 1961 draws a memorable profile of conductor in his famous "Fenomenologia di Mike Bongiorno. One of the most important programs of Mike Bongiorno is "Jeopardy" (1970-1974), in which are introduced in TV electronics and special effects; Sabina Ciuffini is the first "speaking" the history of valletta TV. In 1977 acquainted with Silvio Berlusconi. The well-known entrepreneur understands that now is the time to create private television in Italy; to succeed calls the greatest TV characters until then: Corrado Mantoni, Raimondo Vianello, Sandra Mondaini and Mike Bongiorno. Mike already knows the rules of marketing and the American model and is the first to bring the sponsors in its broadcasts on TeleMilano (the future Channel 5). Opens a new chapter in the story of Mike Bongiorno and, in some respects, the whole Italy: the accomplishments are called "the dreams" (1980), "Encore" (1981), "Superflash" (1982-1985), "Pentathlon" (1985-1986), "Golden words" (1987), "15" (1987-1992) and "once upon a time the Festival" (1989-1990). His experience is worth in 1990 the vice presidency of the broadcaster Channel 5. Speaking of Berlusconi Mike said in 1992: "had he been born in America could even become President." From 1989 he led with great success, "wheel of Fortune" game show American backgrounds, coming to establish the astonishing record of 3200 bets. In his long career, Mike Bongiorno is also presenting eleven editions of the Sanremo Festival, the most important television event in Italy. In 1991 presents the first edition of variety "Bravo Bravissimo", now in its tenth edition, from which inspired the new program "Bravo Bravissimo Club", designed by his sons. His latest work is the new network program 4 "Genius". Mike Bongiorno has also played himself in several short films, including "Totò double or nothing?" (1956), "the last judgment" (1961), "c'eravamo tanto amati" (1974) and "naughty" mostruosamenti Dreams (1983). April 1, 2001 day Mike departed from Milan in an expedition to the North Pole: one of the objectives of the 40 members of the expedition was to make withdrawals (carried out by CNR) in the snows of the polar ice cap, to test thousands of kilometres away the effects of pollution produced by man. The expedition, which cost long months of preparation to the participants and two billion lire to the sponsors engaged, was promoted by Opera romana pellegrinaggi for the centenary of the first expedition to the North Pole, organized in 1898 by Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi and was then sponsored by King Umberto I. The stainless Mike, that anybody would want a Senator for life, besides being one of the most imitated by comedians, considered the King of television, but also of the gaffe: known are some his jokes, so bizarre that made him as popular as its motto: "Allegria!". The President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi conferred in 2004 the title of "Grand Officer of the order of merit of the Republic" to the neo eighty-year-old Mike. In 2009, after signing the contract with Mediaset, to work at the broadcaster Sky. The day September 8, 2009, while he was in Montecarlo, Mike Bongiorno's life is cut short by a sudden heart attack.

The theft of the body and the subsequent discovery

The January 25, 2011 some unknown presenter steal his remains from the cemetery of Dagnente (Arona, Novara). After several weeks, numerous arrests and interrogations of people who demanded a ransom, which are then found to be any conspiracy theorists, the casket was found, still intact, the 8 December of that year near Dorking, near Milan. The reasons and the perpetrators remain unknown. In order to prevent further theft, the body was then cremated in the Turin cemetery on decision of wife Daniela, in accordance with their children: the ashes were scattered in the valleys of the Matterhorn in Valle d'Aosta.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.