Michael Stephen Levey (May 28, 1948 – August 2, 2003) was an American infomercial host. He was best known for hosting Amazing Discoveries, a series of infomercials that aired on late night television from 1989 to 1997.
A former electrical engineer and copy writer for mail advertisements,[1] Levey started Dial-A-Joke line in the 1970s called The Mainline in Los Angeles.[2] In 1988, Levey and two partners founded Positive Response Television, a company that produced infomercials.[1]
Levey rose to fame as the host of Amazing Discoveries, a series of episodic infomercials that began airing in 1989.[3]Amazing Discoveries consisted of over 100 episodes and aired in more than 60 countries in 12 languages. His onscreen persona as the enthusiastic "Sweater Man" was often parodied in films like The Cat in the Hat and on the comedy sketch series MADtv. Levey also appeared as himself on episodes of Sliders, Friends, and The Weird Al Show.
At the height of his fame, Levey received 500 fan letters a week and was dubbed "the most viewed person on television".[4] The success of the Amazing Discoveries infomercials also led to a spin-off infomercial series titled Ask Mike.[5] Levey's company, Positive Response Television, was bought by National Media in 1997. Amazing Discoveries aired its final episode the following year.[3]
^ abCarvell, Tim (May 26, 1997). "A Star Is Born In the Wee Hours Mike Levey: King Of the Infomercial, Heartthrob of the World". cnn.com. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
mike, levey, michael, stephen, levey, 1948, august, 2003, american, infomercial, host, best, known, hosting, amazing, discoveries, series, infomercials, that, aired, late, night, television, from, 1989, 1997, levey, amazing, discoveriesbornmichael, stephen, le. Michael Stephen Levey May 28 1948 August 2 2003 was an American infomercial host He was best known for hosting Amazing Discoveries a series of infomercials that aired on late night television from 1989 to 1997 Mike LeveyLevey on Amazing DiscoveriesBornMichael Stephen Levey 1948 05 28 May 28 1948DiedAugust 2 2003 2003 08 02 aged 55 Los Angeles California U S Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial ParkOccupationInfomercial hostKnown forHosting Amazing DiscoveriesChildren3 Contents 1 Career 2 Death 3 References 4 External linksCareer EditA former electrical engineer and copy writer for mail advertisements 1 Levey started Dial A Joke line in the 1970s called The Mainline in Los Angeles 2 In 1988 Levey and two partners founded Positive Response Television a company that produced infomercials 1 Levey rose to fame as the host of Amazing Discoveries a series of episodic infomercials that began airing in 1989 3 Amazing Discoveries consisted of over 100 episodes and aired in more than 60 countries in 12 languages His onscreen persona as the enthusiastic Sweater Man was often parodied in films like The Cat in the Hat and on the comedy sketch series MADtv Levey also appeared as himself on episodes of Sliders Friends and The Weird Al Show At the height of his fame Levey received 500 fan letters a week and was dubbed the most viewed person on television 4 The success of the Amazing Discoveries infomercials also led to a spin off infomercial series titled Ask Mike 5 Levey s company Positive Response Television was bought by National Media in 1997 Amazing Discoveries aired its final episode the following year 3 Death EditOn August 2 2003 Levey died from cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles 3 6 His private memorial was held on August 6 at Mount Sinai Memorial Park 7 He was survived by his wife Lisa Levey and their three children 8 References Edit a b Carvell Tim May 26 1997 A Star Is Born In the Wee Hours Mike Levey King Of the Infomercial Heartthrob of the World cnn com Retrieved May 7 2013 Dial a Joke Mainline dialajoke us a b c Hovanyetz Scott August 6 2003 Amazing Discoveries Infomercial Host Dies dmnews com Retrieved May 7 2013 de Boer Roberta November 1 1992 Mike Levey TV s most watched person Toledo Blade pp G 2 Retrieved May 7 2013 Eichenwald Kurt 1995 06 25 INVESTING IT STREET SMARTS This Stock May Need an Infomercial The New York Times Retrieved 2008 08 25 Industry legend Mike Levey dies highbeam com September 1 2003 Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved May 7 2013 Amazing Discoveries Host Dies chiefmarketer com Retrieved May 7 2013 Amazing Discoveries Infomercial Host Dies DMNews com Retrieved 2019 02 03 External links EditMike Levey at IMDb This biographical article related to television in the United States is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mike Levey amp oldid 1128652657, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
