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Richard Karn Wilson (born February 17, 1956), better known as Richard Karn, is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 host.

Karn was born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the most populous city in the US state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest....
. He is best known for his role as Al Borland
Al Borland

Albert "Al" E. Borland is a fictional character from the TV sitcom Home Improvement played by Richard Karn. He is portrayed as Tim Taylor 's un-hip sidekick on the show-within-a-show Tool Time....
, the sidekick of Tim Allen
Tim Allen

Tim Allen is an United States comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, who became famous for his role in the situation comedy Home Improvement....
's character, on the sitcom
Situation comedy

A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms....
 Home Improvement
Home Improvement

Home Improvement is an situation comedy starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams , Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean....
 (1991–1999), portrayed as a Navy Seabee
Seabee

The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, and accomplishing myriad other construction projects in a wide variety of military theatres dating back to World War II....
 (in real life, Karn's father, Gene, was a Seabee who served in World War II).

In 2002, Karn replaced Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson

Louie Anderson is an United States stand-up comedian. Louie has also created the cartoon series Life with Louie, has authored three books and was the initial host of the third revival of the game show Family Feud from 1999–2002....
 as host of the game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 Family Feud
Family Feud

Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people....
.






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Encyclopedia


Richard Karn Wilson (born February 17, 1956), better known as Richard Karn, is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 host.

Karn was born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the most populous city in the US state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest....
. He is best known for his role as Al Borland
Al Borland

Albert "Al" E. Borland is a fictional character from the TV sitcom Home Improvement played by Richard Karn. He is portrayed as Tim Taylor 's un-hip sidekick on the show-within-a-show Tool Time....
, the sidekick of Tim Allen
Tim Allen

Tim Allen is an United States comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, who became famous for his role in the situation comedy Home Improvement....
's character, on the sitcom
Situation comedy

A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms....
 Home Improvement
Home Improvement

Home Improvement is an situation comedy starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams , Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean....
 (1991–1999), portrayed as a Navy Seabee
Seabee

The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, and accomplishing myriad other construction projects in a wide variety of military theatres dating back to World War II....
 (in real life, Karn's father, Gene, was a Seabee who served in World War II).

In 2002, Karn replaced Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson

Louie Anderson is an United States stand-up comedian. Louie has also created the cartoon series Life with Louie, has authored three books and was the initial host of the third revival of the game show Family Feud from 1999–2002....
 as host of the game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
 Family Feud
Family Feud

Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people....
. In 2002, Karn also made an appearance in The Strokes'
The Strokes

The Strokes are an United States rock music band formed in 1998 in New York City who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in the Garage rock#Revival....
 music video for "Someday
Someday (The Strokes song)

"Someday" is a single from Is This It, the debut album by American garage rock/post-punk band The Strokes. The music video for the song features appearances by Slash , Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum; the guitarist, bassist, and drummer from Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, as well as the members of Guided by Voices....
", which featured segments of the band on a fictional showing of Family Feud against the band Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices

Guided by Voices was an United States indie rock musical band originating from Dayton, Ohio, Ohio. Since the band's formation in 1983, it experienced frequent personnel changes, but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard....
. On October 6, 2008, Karn replaced Patrick Duffy
Patrick Duffy

Patrick Duffy is an United States television actor. He is best known for his roles as Bobby Ewing on the immensely popular CBS drama Dallas , and as Frank Lambert on the ABC television sitcom Step by Step ....
 as host of GSN's Bingo America
Bingo America

Bingo America is an American game show airing on Game Show Network that follows two contestants as they try to compete to win up to $100,000, as well as letting at-home viewers print bingo cards at GSN.com that allow them to play along with the show to win money....
.

Karn is sometimes referred to as "Richard Jr." because he and original Feud host Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson aka 'The Kissing Bandit' is a United Kingdom-United States actor, comedian, game show panelist and host. He is best known for his role as Bob Crane's British non-commissioned officer, Corporal Peter Newkirk, on the World War II situation comedy Hogan's Heroes, and as the original host of the Family Feud game show from 1...
 share the same first name. Karn left Family Feud in 2006 and was replaced by John O'Hurley
John O'Hurley

John O'Hurley is an United States actor and television personality who since 2006, has been the host of the game show Family Feud. He is best known for his recurring role as Jacopo Peterman on the List of years in television#1990s NBC Situation comedy Seinfeld....
.

Later years

In 2008, Karn became the national spokesman for the "Mr. Handyman" franchise chain of professional handymen. He is touted as a "Handyman Guru," borrowing on his TV persona. He has also served as the spokesman for the Little Giant ladder system, a product of Wing Enterprises. Richard became the new host of Bingo America
Bingo America

Bingo America is an American game show airing on Game Show Network that follows two contestants as they try to compete to win up to $100,000, as well as letting at-home viewers print bingo cards at GSN.com that allow them to play along with the show to win money....
 on GSN
Game Show Network

GSN is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994....
 on October 6, 2008. Richard is a substitute host on GSN Radio
GSN Radio

GSN Radio is a live Interactivity internet radio game show on Game Show Network, hosted by marriage Bob Goen and Marianne Curan. The four-hour program features interactive games that listeners can play to win United States dollar and other prizes....
.

Selected filmography


Films

  • Snow Buddies
    Snow Buddies

    Snow Buddies is a 2008 in film direct to video in the Air Bud series and was the first to receive a Motion Picture Association of America film rating system rating from the Motion Picture Association of America since Air Bud: Spikes Back....
     (2008
    2008 in film

    The year '2008 in film' saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels such as Rambo , The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Dark Knight , The X-Files: I...
    ) - Patrick
  • Mr. Blue Sky (2006
    2006 in film

    The year '2006 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with Saw III, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Casino Royale , Clerks II, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mission: Impossible III, Final Destination 3 and Scary Movie 4....
    ) - John
  • Air Buddies
    Air Buddies

    Air Buddies is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport....
     (2005
    2005 in film

    The year 2005 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,The Devil's Rejects, Saw II, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, ''The Ring Two, ''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, ''xXx: State of the Union, ''Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous...
    ) - Patrick
  • Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch
    Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch

    Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch is the fourth film in the Air Bud series....
     (2002
    2002 in film

    The year '2002 in film' involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Stuart Litt...
    ) — Patrick
  • Reality School (2002) — Victor Cayanne
  • Sex and the Teenage Mind (2002) — Stanley Heitmeyer
  • MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate
    MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate

    MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate is the 2002 in film feature film, and the second in the MVP saga. The film's title character, Jack, is a fictional chimpanzee....
     (2001
    2001 in film

    The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. ...
    ) — Ollie Plant
  • The Pooch and the Pauper (1999
    1999 in film

    The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan , The Mummy , and the hig...
    ) — Agent Dainville
  • Legend of the Mummy (1997
    1997 in film

    The year 1997 in film involved some significant events....
    ) — Brice Renard
  • Picture Perfect (1995)(TV) - George Thomas


TV series

  • Home Improvement
    Home Improvement

    Home Improvement is an situation comedy starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams , Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean....
     (1991–1999) — Al Borland
    Al Borland

    Albert "Al" E. Borland is a fictional character from the TV sitcom Home Improvement played by Richard Karn. He is portrayed as Tim Taylor 's un-hip sidekick on the show-within-a-show Tool Time....
  • Family Feud
    Family Feud

    Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people....
     (2002–2006) — Host
  • Bingo America
    Bingo America

    Bingo America is an American game show airing on Game Show Network that follows two contestants as they try to compete to win up to $100,000, as well as letting at-home viewers print bingo cards at GSN.com that allow them to play along with the show to win money....
     (2008-present) - Host
  • Foot Soldier (1998) - Host and narrator
  • That 70's Show (1 episode, Bye Bye Basement) Theo


  • Boy Meets World
    Boy Meets World

    Boy Meets World is an Television in the United States television sitcom that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, who grows up from a young boy to a married man....
     (1 episode, "This Little Piggy") Animal Control Officer
  • The New St Elsewhere
    St. Elsewhere

    St. Elsewhere is a U.S. drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End, Boston, Massachusetts....
     (Dr. Frank Baum)
  • Dirt
    Dirt

    Dirt primarily refers to:* Soil, that is found on the ground. This sense is principally North American.* Waste material, an unwanted or undesired mixture of dust, soil, and other solids, such as on floors or carpets...
     (1 episode, Ties That (Don't) Bind) Holt McLauren's Father
  • WOW! The Most Amazing Acts on Earth 1996 - Host


Books

  • House Broken: How I Remodeled My Home for Just Under Three Times the Original Bid (1999) - ISBN 0-0610-5144-6 (with George Mair)
  • Handy at Home: Tips on Improving Your Home from America's Favorite Handyman (2002) - ISBN 0-3123-0606-7 (with George Mair)


External links