NATAS Names Mary Hart, Harry Friedman Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Honorees

Former Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart and Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune producer Harry Friedman will receive Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement awards, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced Jan. 26.

Hart, who emceed CBS Television Distribution’s ET from 1982 to 2011, will be feted April 30 at the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards. Friedman, who joined CTD’s Wheel as a producer in 1995 and CTD’s Jeopardy! in 1997, will be honored April 28 at the 44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

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"Harry Friedman is a force unto himself that has taken the game show world and reinvented it for the 21st Century as well as being, perhaps, the nicest man in show business,” said David Michaels, senior VP, daytime (NATAS). "With Friedman joined by Mary Hart, the woman who set the bar for those that followed in the entertainment news genre, as our Lifetime Achievement honorees, we are looking forward to two incredible celebrations of the world of Daytime television this year."

Both the Daytime Emmy Awards and Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards take place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. 

Jessika Walsten

Jessika is an analyst for TVREV and Fabric Media. She previously served in various roles at Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, working with the brands since 2013. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects in the media and entertainment space, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.