Details About Wolfman Jack: Parents, Ethnicity, Measurements

Known for movies

Short Info

Date Of Birth	January 21, 1938
Died	July 1, 1995, Belvedere, North Carolina, United States
Spouse	Lou Smith
Mark	Wolf howl and gravelly voice
Fact	He was a fan of disc jockey Alan Freed who helped to turn African-American rhythm and blues into Caucasian rock and roll music. Freed originally called himself the Moondog after New York City street musician Moondog. Freed both adopted this name and used a recorded howl to give his early broadcasts a unique character. The Wolfman's adaptation of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Jack and add his own sound effects. The character was based in part on the manner and style of bluesman Howling Wolf. He created the nickname Wolfman Jack and attempted to mask his true identity to create public interest in his radio character.

Wolfman Jack was born Robert Weston Smith on January 21, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, an insurance salesman, died when Wolfman was just four years old. His mother remarried and the family moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where Wolfman attended Maury High School. It was there that he developed a love for rhythm and blues music.

Wolfman began his career in radio in the early 1960s, working at a number of small stations in North Carolina and Virginia. He eventually landed a job at XERF, a Mexican border blaster with a powerful signal that could be heard across the United States. It was at XERF that Wolfman developed his signature style, which included speaking in a gravelly voice and playing music by black artists that was not typically heard on mainstream radio.

In the early 1970s, Wolfman moved to Los Angeles, where he began working at KDAY. It was there that he gained a wider audience and became one of the most popular DJs in the country. He also began making appearances on television and in films, including American Graffiti (1973) and The Wolfman (1981).

Wolfman continued to work in radio and television until his death from a heart attack on July 1, 1995. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999.

At the time of his death, Wolfman Jack was estimated to have a net worth of $5 million.

General Info

Full Name	Wolfman Jack
Date Of Birth	January 21, 1938
Died	July 1, 1995, Belvedere, North Carolina, United States
Place Of Birth	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Profession	Disc jockey, Actor, Radio personality
Nationality	American

Family

Spouse	Lou Smith
Children	Joy Rene Smith, Tod Weston Smith
Parents	Anson Weston Smith, Rosamond Small

Accomplishments

Movies	Mortuary Academy, Garfield in Paradise, Stanley the Ugly Duckling, Motel Hell, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Deadman's Curve, Deranged, American Graffiti, Rock's First Teen Idols
TV Shows	The Midnight Special

Social profile links

IMDB	http://imdb.com/name/nm0413125

Marks

#	Marks / Signs
1	Wolf howl and gravelly voice

Facts

#	Fact
1	Began his radio career in 1960 at WYOU in Newport News, Virginia, and later moved to KCIJ in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he first came up with the idea of the Wolfman Jack character.
2	He was a fan of disc jockey Alan Freed who helped to turn African-American rhythm and blues into Caucasian rock and roll music. Freed originally called himself the Moondog after New York City street musician Moondog. Freed both adopted this name and used a recorded howl to give his early broadcasts a unique character. The Wolfman's adaptation of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Jack and add his own sound effects. The character was based in part on the manner and style of bluesman Howling Wolf. He created the nickname Wolfman Jack and attempted to mask his true identity to create public interest in his radio character.
3	Once appeared in a commercial for Clearasil.
4	A final tribute show aired one week after Wolfman's death on over 100 radio stations.
5	For the last two years of his life, Wolfman Jack did a live weekly show from WXTR-FM in Washington, DC, which was carried on 50 affiliate stations around the United States.
6	Career began on KCIJ-AM, a daytime station in Shreveport, Louisiana.
7	He is referred to in the songs, "Ramble on Rose", by Grateful Dead, "Clap For the Wolfman" by The Guess Who, and "Wolfman Jack" by Todd Rundgren.
8	Hit #106 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1972 with "I Ain't Never Seen a White Man" (Wooden Nickel 0108)
9	"Wolfman Jack" was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1996.
10	He died almost immediately after returning home from a promotional tour for his autobiography, "Have Mercy." He entered his house, hugged his wife, said "Oh, it is so good to be home!" and literally died in his wife's arms.
11	Wolfman Jack worked as a disc jockey from 1964 to 1966 for the (then) 250,000 watt radio station XERF (1570 AM) in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the river from Del Rio, Texas, USA, which is among borders of Texas and Mexico.
12	Wolfman Jack was an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, where he was officially known as and nicknamed "Reverend Jack".
13	He made his final syndicated radio broadcast from a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Washington, DC, on Friday Night, June 30, 1995.

Pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
Garfield and Friends	1994	TV Series
Swamp Thing	1992	TV Series	Hurly
DJ Boy	1989	Video Game	Disk Jockey (US version, voice)
Mortuary Academy	1988		Bernie Berkowitz
Rags to Riches	1987	TV Series	Morgan W. Hollywood
Garfield in Paradise	1986	TV Short	Chief (voice)
The Midnight Hour	1985	TV Movie	Radio D.J. (voice)
Stanley, the Ugly Duckling	1982	TV Movie	Eagle One (voice)
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang	1980-1981	TV Series	Opening Narrator
Motel Hell	1980		Reverend Billy
More American Graffiti	1979		Wolfman Jack
Wonder Woman	1978	TV Series	Infra Red
Hanging on a Star	1978		Gordon Shep
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	1978		Our Guests at Heartland
Deadman's Curve	1978	TV Movie	The Jackal
James at 16	1978	TV Series	Announcer
Police Story	1978	TV Series	Felco
Have I Got a Christmas for You	1977	TV Movie	Chips Domino
The Wolfman Jack Show	1976	TV Series	Host
What's Happening!!	1976	TV Series	Emcee
Emergency!	1975	TV Series
The Odd Couple	1973	TV Series	Wolfman Jack
American Graffiti	1973		Disc Jockey

Soundtrack

Title	Year	Status	Character
31	2016	performer: "Graveyard Ball", "Wings of Lightning", "Wolfman Jack Show Promo", "Big Party", "Wolfman Jack Halloween Show"
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	1978	performer: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Finale

Thanks

Title	Year	Status	Character
Tenacity and Gratitude: The Frank Cotolo Story	2014	Documentary in loving memory of / in memory of
Flying High	1978	TV Series thanks - 1 episode

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
Moondog Airwaves	2015	Short completed	Himself
Married with Children	1995	TV Series	Himself
Midnight	1989		Himself
Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues	1987	TV Special	Himself
The New Hollywood Squares	1987	TV Series	Guest Appearance
The Return of Bruno	1987	TV Movie	Himself
Wolf Rock TV	1984	TV Series	Himself
The Midnight Special	1972-1980	TV Series	Himself - Announcer / Himself / Himself-Announcer / ...
Galactica 1980	1980	TV Series	Himself
Vega$	1980	TV Series	Himself
The Wolfman Jack Radio Show	1980	TV Movie	Himself - Host
Dance Fever	1979	TV Series	Himself
The Hollywood Squares	1979	TV Series	Guest Appearance
A Salute to American Imagination	1978	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Murder at the Mardi Gras	1978	TV Movie	Himself
Science Fiction Film Awards	1978	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Presenter
What's Happening!!	1978	TV Series	Himself
Celebrity Sweepstakes	1977	TV Series	Himself
The Alan Hamel Show	1976	TV Series	Himself
The Wolfman Jack Show	1976	TV Series	Himself - Host
The Mike Douglas Show	1976	TV Series	Himself - Co-Host
New American Bandstand 1965	1975	TV Series	Himself
NBC Special Treat	1975	TV Series	Himself
The Seven Minutes	1971		Himself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Tenacity and Gratitude: The Frank Cotolo Story	2014	Documentary	Himself
Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio	2008	Documentary	Himself
Conquest of the Earth	1981	TV Movie	Himself