AMERICA'S ORIGINAL REALITY SHOW
PETER FUNT...
Peter Funt is an author and television host, continuing the Funt Family tradition of making people smile. In addition to anchoring the landmark series Candid Camera, Peter’s op-ed columns and features have appeared often in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe and other major outlets. Peter’s book Playing POTUS: The Power of America’s “Acting Presidents,” was produced as a film documentary for release in 2025. His hilarious tell-some memoir, Self-Amused, recounts a lifetime of surprises — both on-camera and off. His recent book, Inside Fantasy Football: America’s Favorite Non-Combat Sport, was excerpted in The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic.
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Peter Funt made his first appearance on Candid Camera when he and the legendary series were each just three years old. Peter posed as a shoeshine boy who charged $10 per shoe. He has since hosted more than 200 Candid Camera network episodes. Earlier in his career, Peter spent five years as an editor and reporter with ABC News in New York, winning the prestigious Silurian’s Award. While at ABC he also established himself as a regular contributor to the New York Times Arts & Leisure section, delivering dozens of trend stories on television and film. His book Cautiously Optimistic is a collection of essays observing the social scene. He also authored Gotcha! for Grosset & Dunlap on the lost art of practical joking. He was Editor of the monthly On Cable Magazine.
Following in his father's footsteps, he serves as President of the Laughter Therapy Foundation. Peter received his BA in journalism from the University of Denver. He returned to the Denver campus to be honored as a Master Scholar in Arts and Humanities. He is a recipient of the Angel Award for television. Peter is founder of the Monterey County Young Journalists program in California, which provides training for high school students pursuing careers in news. He also inaugurated the Courtroom Journalism competition in Monterey County in conjunction with the Lyceum Organization, and has conducted a similar statewide event for the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles.Peter and his wife, Amy, reside in Central California. They have two children, Stephanie and Danny. Peter’s favorite pastimes are golf, baseball, tennis and people-watching.
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ALLEN FUNT...
Allen Funt, creator and original host of the landmark television series Candid Camera, perfected an art that has entertained people for decades. From a humble start on radio in 1947, he used hidden microphones and cameras to catch unsuspecting people worldwide — all in the spirit of fun.
Allen Funt's preoccupation with catching people off-guard and making them laugh at themselves took many forms. Following the success of Candid Microphone on the ABC Radio Network, Candid Camera was launched in 1948 and became a top-rated TV show in both network runs and syndication. In 1968, Funt also produced his first feature-length motion picture, the hidden-camera study of sexuality, "What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?" His other credits included 40 movie shorts for Columbia Pictures, three books — "Eavesdropper at Large," "Candid Kids" and "Candidly, Allen Funt" — seven record albums and more than 100 sales training films for major corporations.
Born September 16, 1914, in New York City, the son of a diamond merchant, Allen graduated from high school at the precocious age of 15. Too young for college and eager for a career in art, he attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before entering Cornell University, from which he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts. After graduation he attended Columbia University School of Business Administration and then returned to Pratt for additional courses in art, which led to a job in the art department of an advertising agency. He subsequently became a copywriter and then joined the radio department, where he found his true métier. He became a radio idea man, dreaming up gimmicks for shows.
During World War II, the Army Signal Corps put Allen and his radio experience to good use for five years. While in the service, he experimented with the then young art of location recording, using a wire recorder, the predecessor of today's tape recorder. The portability of the contraption led Allen to try out various concealment techniques. The happy result was Candid Microphone, which premiered on ABC Radio soon after he left the Army.
Candid Microphone soon gave birth to the television version, Candid Camera, which appeared at one time or another on all three networks and in many foreign countries. The program was an acclaimed hit on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1966. The next two decades brought about the New Candid Camera, a weekly half-hour syndicated series that ran for over five years in the mid-70's, as well as adult versions of the popular show created for cable. During this time, Funt also produced several Candid Camera Specials for NBC and CBS. Peter Funt joined him in 1987 for the CBS specials.
Allen Funt's philanthropic endeavors were many. He turned over to his alma mater, Cornell, the entire library of Candid Camera recordings and films, together with a grant to make this material available the world over for research and other academic uses. For several years he also established a Fellowship at Syracuse University for post-graduate studies in radio and television aimed at providing the broadcast industry with qualified black personnel. Due to his continued interest in the effects of laughter on healing, Allen established the "Laughter Therapy" foundation, which makes Candid Camera videos available at no charge to people with serious illnesses.
Called the "second most ingenious sociologist in America" by no less an authority than super-sociologist David Reisman in his book, "The Lonely Crowd," Funt always considered himself a student of human nature, rather than a practical joker. He moved from New York to Central California in 1978, and embarked on cattle ranching and horse breeding at his 1,100-acre Big Sur ranch, bordered on one side by the Pacific and the other by the beautiful Sierra Mountains. Often he could be found ankle-deep in sawdust making furniture or building additions to the ranch. Following a stroke in 1993, he was forced to take things easier, but still with that same Funt appreciation for life's little absurdities—and of course, still sporting a "Smile."
Allen Funt is survived by five children: Peter, Patricia, John, Juliet and William; and four grandchildren: Stephanie, Daniel, Katherine and Anna.