David Martin Ruprecht (born October 14, 1948) is an American television and stage actor and game show host, primarily known for his work as host of the Lifetime/PAX game show Supermarket Sweep.

Career

Ruprecht has hosted the live stage show version of The Price Is Right at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Mississippi and Connecticut. He has also hosted Family Feud Live. Ruprecht began acting in television commercials in the late 1970s. He guest-starred on more than 50 television shows, like Three's Company, on which his character married Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) in the series finale, HBO's True Blood, and the 1981 TV-movie The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island as Thurston Howell IV, the son of Thurston Howell III. From 1990 to 1992, he played Dan Ryan on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. He co-starred in the Broadway and Showtime productions of Perfectly Frank and did voice-over work for the 1985 animated series Yogi's Treasure Hunt. In 1990, Ruprecht began hosting Supermarket Sweep and held the job until the show's cancellation in 2003. He auditioned as announcer for the 2020 ABC revival with host Leslie Jones.

Personal life

Ruprecht was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Lutheran minister. He grew up in Florida, and graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1966. Ruprecht previously served on the board of directors for the Downsize DC Foundation. He is a former Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of California and a long-time member of Rotary International. He has been married twice. His first marriage to actress Ann Wilkinson ended in divorce. He married choreographer Patti Colombo in November 1988. He is a practicing member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife. He has no children.

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