Biography
Peter Funt is the executive producer and host of "Candid Camera." He is also a speaker and columnist, continuing the Funt Family tradition of catching people in the act of being themselves.
In addition to hosting the landmark series "Candid Camera," Peter writes frequent op-eds for USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times as well as his weekly syndicated column. His writing and public appearances contain the same pointed social observations that have made "Candid Camera" popular since its invention by Peter's dad, Allen, back in 1947.
This season, Peter's acclaimed stage show is touring the country, combining the best clips and quips from Candid Camera with topical humor and audience surprises.
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! Since that time he has appeared in hundreds of "Candid Camera" sequences and hosted over 200 network episodes, most recently on TV Land.
In addition to his hidden-camera work, Peter Funt has produced and hosted TV specials on the Arts & Entertainment and Lifetime cable networks. He also spent five years as an editor and reporter with ABC News in New York.
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. Earlier in his career he was Editor of the monthly "On Cable Magazine."
Peter also follows in his father's footsteps as President of Laughter Therapy Foundation, a non-profit started by Allen Funt in 1982. Laughter Therapy sends special videos, at no charge, to critically ill people throughout the U.S.
Peter received his degree in journalism from the University of Denver. In 2010 he returned to the Denver campus to be honored as a Master Scholar in Arts and Humanities, and in 2011 delivered the keynote at the annual Alumni Symposium. He is a past winner of the Silurian's Award for radio news reporting, for his ABC News coverage of racial disturbances in Asbury Park, N.J., and 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. He is at work on a new version of Candid Camera for 2020.
