Report: George Hamilton Frontrunner to Replace Price’s Bob Barker

Fremantle Media Friday declined to comment on reports circulating in Hollywood and on the gossip Website TMZ.com that George Hamilton, 67, is the front runner to replace Bob Barker, 83, as the host of CBS and Fremantle’s The Price is Right.

The gossip Website TMZ.com reported that CBS chief Les Moonves and producers find Hamilton “wonderfully charming” and “could really make the show work.”

If true, Hamilton would become only the second host in the 35-year history of television’s longest-running game show after Barker, who is set to retire in June.

A native of Memphis, Hamilton, perhaps best known for his perpetual suntan and colorful private life, began a movie career in 1952.

His TV roles included the 1980s primetime soap Dynasty and appearing as a semi-regular panelist on the 1998 revival of Match Game.

In 2003, he hosted The Family, a short-lived ABC reality series, and last year appeared on the second season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. He made it to the sixth round and has recently been seen as a commercial pitchman for Ritz Cracker and Wheat Thins.