RIP: PETER MARSHALL

Peter Marshall, who won four Emmys hosting the first incarnation of the long-running game show Hollywood Squares, has died at the age of 98, TVLine has confirmed. Marshall died on Thursday of kidney failure at his home in Encino, California “surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement.

After an early career in comedy and on Broadway, Marshall signed on to host what was then titled The Hollywood Squares in 1966, after Bert Parks hosted the initial pilot for NBC. Marshall thought he would only spend 13 weeks as the host, but that turned into 16 years, with Marshall emceeing the show — which featured celebrities like Paul Lynde answering trivia questions as “squares” in a giant tic-tac-toe board — from 1966 to 1981. Along the way, he won four Daytime Emmys for his hosting work.

After Hollywood Squares’ initial run ended, Marshall went on to appear in the 1982 film musical Annie and on TV shows like CHiPs, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. He later returned to Hollywood Squares for a week in 2002, serving as the center square and also hosting an episode.

Hollywood Squares returned to TV in 1986 with a new version hosted by John Davidson, with Joan Rivers serving as the permanent center square. After that version ended in 1989, the format was revived once again in 1998, with Tom Bergeron as host and Whoopi Goldberg as the center square. That version wrapped up in 2004.

Peter Marshall also appeared in movies in Annie (1982) as the radio singer. In recent years he hosted many nostalgia shows on PBS...