Ken Ober

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Ken Ober (July 3, 1957 - November 15, 2009) was an American game show host, comedian, and actor.

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Early life and career

Born Kenneth Oberding in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was raised in a suburb of Hartford, Connecticut, where his first job was as a bagger at a local Jewish supermarket. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star Search in 1984. He was most widely known for his role on the MTV game show Remote Control, which he hosted for three seasons, spanning 1987 to 1990, then in reruns for an additional two years. That show also helped launch the careers of Adam Sandler, Denis Leary, Kari Wuhrer, and Colin Quinn. Ober was known among 1990s and 2000s audiences for his hosting jobs on Make Me Laugh, Smush, and the ESPN game show Perfect Match.

In 1995, Ober hosted a Los Angeles talk radio show with former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen. The show, known as Ober and Olsen, aired on 97.1 KLSX. (Olsen had previously appeared on an episode of Remote Control that featured Brady Bunch cast members competing.)

In 2002, Ober served as supervising producer for Colin Quinn's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, which was a reunion of sorts; Quinn was the announcer on Remote Control. Ober was also a guest on one episode.

Ober starred in the Blues Traveler video for the song "Hook". He also had a smaller role in the same band's videos for "Run-Around" and "The Mountains Win Again".

He served as a producer for the CBS comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, and is also known for a series of Jenga commercials.

He was an original member of the Theta Mu chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He graduated in 1980.

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Death

Ober died at his home in Santa Monica on November 15, 2009, at the age of 52. According to friends, Ober had been feeling ill and was complaining of headaches, chronic chest pain, and flu-like symptoms the previous afternoon.