Howie Mandel

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Birth name Howie Michael Mandel II
Nationality Canada
Birth 29 november 1955 (69 years) at Toronto (Canada)

Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian, actor, television host and voice actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Howie Mandel was best known for his role as rowdy ER intern Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere. He is also well known for being the creator and star of the children's cartoon Bobby's World. On June 6, 2009, he hosted the 2009 Game Show Awards on GSN. Mandel became a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, replacing David Hasselhoff, in the fifth season of the reality talent contest. Mandel has mysophobia (an irrational fear of germs) to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone, including contestants on Deal or No Deal, unless he is wearing latex gloves.

Biography

He met his wife Terry in high school, and married her in 1980. They have three children: daughters Jackie and Riley, and son Alex. He also has two adopted nephews, Austin and Zack Mandel. He is also a distant cousin of Itzhak Perlman, an Israeli-American violinist and composer.

On September 4, 2008, Mandel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mandel received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009. He is the third game show host to be inducted (the first being Monty Hall in 2002 and the second being Alex Trebek in 2006).

In October 2008, Mandel revealed that he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the morning talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, adding that he is currently working to raise adult ADHD awareness among the general public. On January 12, 2009, Mandel was reportedly sent to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto suffering from chest pains and what was reported as a minor heart attack. According to various news reports, he was experiencing an irregular heartbeat, but the reports were later revealed as inaccurate. He was later released. Mandel has written and published an in-depth autobiography which details his life with OCD, ADHD, and comedy, called Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me.

Mandel is a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.

Mysophobia

Mandel has mysophobia (a pathological fear of contamination/germs) to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone, including enthusiastic contestants on Deal or No Deal, unless he is wearing latex gloves. Instead of shaking contestants' hands when they offer them, Mandel often opts to exchange fist pounds, put his hands on contestants' shoulders, or give an occasional hug. He once kissed a female contestant on the show for good luck despite his mysophobia. He now takes medicine to control his condition and even pokes fun at himself for it. He revealed on The Howard Stern Show on March 24, 2006, that his shaved head is not related to natural hair loss, but to his mysophobia. He stated that the lack of hair makes him feel cleaner. In the back yard of Mandel's house is a second, smaller house which he had built especially to live in solitude when a family member is sick. During his appearance on Mad TV, Mandel and cast member Bobby Lee made fun of the former's condition.

In September 2007, Mandel interviewed former NFL running back Marshall Faulk on NFL Network. Faulk asked him to shake hands, but Mandel declined, noting he'd rather have the fist tap, as he does with Deal or No Deal contestants. Seconds later, Faulk subjected him to a "sneak attack", and shook his right hand. Mandel screamed and walked away from Faulk. He then washed his hands several times. On a guest appearance on Free Radio, Mandel explained that not only is he afraid of public bathrooms, but is unable to use any bathroom other than his own.

During the season 5 episode of America's Got Talent in Chicago, Zach Carty attempted an act involving sneezing. Mandel pressed his X button, and ran off to the far end of the theater until the act was over. (Carty was unable to perform the act.) Mandel kept yelling at the other judges, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne to press their X buttons and for the audience to turn in his direction. Morgan eventually pressed the X button, but Osbourne refused, so Mandel promptly ran over and pressed her button, ending the act. In a backstage interview, he expressed to the television audience that he receives therapy to help him cope. In another America's Got Talent season 5 incident, Dan Sperry, a contestant on the YouTube quarterfinal episode, dropped some dental floss that he had run through his neck as part of a magic act. He dropped the floss in Mandel's vicinity, prompting him to get up and run to the other side of the judges' table. Just before Sperry's next performance in the semifinals, Mandel admitted that it was "the most horrified" he'd been on the show and that his therapist "loves [Dan Sperry]," because there had been two extra sessions that week.

During AGT's 10th season, a contestant named Chris Jones directly utilized Mandel's mysophobia as the subject of his hypnotism act. Under the post-hypnotic suggestion that Jones and the other judges were wearing latex gloves, Mandel shook the bare hands of all involved, which elicited shouts of amazement and drew much attention on the Internet. After viewing the video of the act, Mandel reported feeling "upset" and "betrayed," and required a session with his therapist. Chris Jones progressed to the Judge's Cuts where he was eliminated from the competition.

Mandel commented in 2011 that he has struggled with the condition since childhood, but did not seek help until he was an adult:

"I don’t remember a time when I didn’t feel there was an issue. But I wasn’t diagnosed until adulthood. I’ve always felt a little bit different, and I always knew I wasn’t as comfortable with life as everybody else seemed to be. But I didn’t know what I could do about it. When I was a kid, I didn’t know anybody who went to a psychiatrist. There was always a stigma attached to mental health issues. I think there still is. But now I’m taking care of myself."