Mike Rowe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Mike Rowe |
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| Born: | March 18, 1962 (age 45) Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Occupation: | Television host and Narrator |
Mike Gregory Rowe (pronounced: /ɹoʊ/) (born March 18, 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland) is the host of the television show Dirty Jobs and the narrator of several television shows, primarily on the Discovery Channel. He is known as "Mr. Discovery Channel" or "The Voice of the Discovery Channel". He has also done a number of Ford truck commercials.
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[edit] Personal
It was during his service project for Eagle Scout at the Maryland School for the Blind that Rowe read aloud for the first time, which he cites as one of the reasons he became interested in narrating and writing .[1] He went to Overlea High School[2], then attended Towson University in Baltimore County, Maryland. Rowe currently lives in San Francisco, California, where he attempts to "pursue a life of serial monogamy with a very understanding woman."[3]
[edit] Professional
Before joining Discovery, Rowe sang professionally with the Baltimore Opera (he is a baritone), sold over $100 million of "simulated" diamonds on QVC, and appeared in several dozen commercials for Tylenol and Epic Pharmacy. He also hosted Worst Case Scenario for TBS, On-Air TV for American Airlines, The Most for The History Channel, No Relation for FX, and New York Expeditions for PBS.
From 2001 to 2005 Rowe hosted Evening Magazine on KPIX-TV in San Francisco. During this time, he hosted a news segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It," profiling a number of unpleasant professions; this concept later grew into Dirty Jobs. Rowe also hosted the long-running weekly Sunday morning real estate infomercial Your New Home on WJZ in Baltimore and WJLA in Washington, D.C. until January 2007. Rowe's first work with Discovery included a trip to the Valley of the Golden Mummies to host Egypt Week Live!. There, he opened and explored ancient tombs live on air with Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist. In addition to Dirty Jobs, Rowe's work for Discovery now includes narrating for American Chopper, American Hot Rod, and Deadliest Catch, as well as other Discovery specials and series. Rowe hosted the Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" in 2006.
Rowe's other narration work includes Drydock: A Cruise Ship Reborn, Southern Steel, Powertool Drag Racing, Scavengers Rock (Animal Planet), and other Discovery specials and series, such as You Spoof Discovery, an amateur parody video special.
Rowe also narrates for the reality show Ghost Hunters, a show from the producers of American Chopper, on the Sci-Fi Channel. Additionally, Mike has done voice-over work for the reality television show The Ultimate Fighter[4].
Mike Rowe appeared on The Daily Show on February 6, 2007 to discuss Dirty Jobs, and, beginning in March 2007, was featured in several Ford F-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar to Dirty Jobs.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Transcript of March 7, 2006, Online Chat with Mike Rowe. Discovery Channel (2006-03-07). Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ Stecker, Bonnie Y. "Down & Dirty" (pdf), Emerge, Community College of Baltimore County, Spring 2006, p. 4. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ You Ask, He Answers (Dirty Jobs FAQ). Discovery Channel. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ Mike Rowe's Biography. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ Bernstein, Marty (2007-03-01). Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe To Tout Ford Trucks as Spokesperson. The Auto Channel. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
