Dominick George “Don” Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with NBC, working as the announcer for early incarnations of such notable shows as The Price Is Right, Jackpot, Jeopardy!, Three on a Match, Winning Streak and NBC Nightly News. His longest, and best-known, announcing job was for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, a job he held for 38 seasons, from the show’s debut in 1975 until his death in 2014. Early life Pardo was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. His parents, Dominick George Sr. and Valeria “Viola” Rominak-Pardo, were immigrants from Poland who owned a bakery. He spent his childhood in Norwich, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Emerson College in 1942…
Toward the end, when Pardo wasn’t feeling well, Darrell Hammond would fill in and do such a good impression, that it’s almost impossible to tell when it isn’t really Pardo. After Pardo’s death, Hammond took over the announcing duties full time, but uses his own voice. Everyone agreed that he shouldn’t continue the Pardo impression.