Peter David Tomarken

 Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942 – March 13, 2006)

He was a television personality primarily known as the host of game show Press Your Luck. Peter graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1960 and from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in English. Tomarken worked on the magazines Women's Wear Daily and Business Week in New York City during the late 1960s before moving back to California to work at various advertising agencies. He made an appearance as a reporter in the 1978 film Heaven Can Wait, as well as the character Roe in "The Secret Empire" portion of the short lived NBC series Cliffhangers. Tomarken got his first network job as host of Hit Man for NBC; it lasted just 13 weeks, from January 3 to April 1 of 1983. Also, he briefly co-anchored a news show on Playboy TV in New York City at the same time. Tomarken was then offered the hosting job for Press Your Luck, which he hosted for three seasons on CBS from 1983–1986. After Press Your Luck, Tomarken hosted the pilot for Wordplay in October 1986 with announcer Rod Roddy. In 2000, Tomarken took his final hosting position on the Fox Family Channel game show Paranoia. He also appeared on several infomercials and acted in small roles, including on the TV show Ally McBeal, during that time. He semi-retired from television to work as a real estate agent.

Tomarken and his second wife, Kathleen, were killed in a plane crash on March 13, 2006. His Beechcraft Bonanza A36, N16JR, crashed a few hundred feet off shore in Santa Monica Bay during climb-out from the Santa Monica Airport in California. The aircraft lost power shortly after takeoff and Tomarken attempted to turn back to the airport before crashing into the bay. he cause of the crash was determined to be an improper repair to the aircraft engine that resulted in a complete loss of power. The Tomarkens were volunteers with Angel Flight West, a nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation to needy medical patients. They were en route to San Diego to pick up a cancer patient who needed transportation to UCLA Medical Center for treatment when their airplane crashed. Tomarken and his wife are buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, CA.