Bill Elliott
However, Gordon Elliot never planned on pursuing a career in television. Born in Liverpool, England, Elliot moved to Australia to pursue a law degree at the University of Sydney. While researching a class assignment on media personalities in Australia, the young law student ended up being interviewed on a radio program by one of the figures he was assigned to investigate. What was supposed to be a five-minute guest spot, however, turned into two hours of Elliot co-hosting the program. It was at that moment that Gordon Elliot knew he wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting. He began working part-time at radio stations throughout Sydney, and in 1981 was offered a position as co-host of the television program "Good Morning, Australia" (Network 10, 1981-1992). For the 25-year-old Elliot, It would be the start of a long and illustrious career as a television personality. Elliot co-hosted the popular morning show for six years before seeking out new opportunities in America as a featured reporter on "A Current Affair." Elliot worked on the show throughout the late 1980s. During that time, he was thrust into the annals of television history for being the first broadcast journalist to stand atop the Berlin Wall. After leaving "A Current Affair" in 1991, Elliot briefly served as a reporter on "Hard Copy" and even hosted his very own talk show, "The Gordon Elliot Show" (CBS 1994-97), before transitioning to a career behind the camera. He started Follow Productions in 1999, which primarily produced cooking-oriented shows for the Food Network. In addition to winning a 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, Gordon Elliot also launched the careers of three of the most popular cable television chefs of the 2000s, Georgia-born restaurateur Paula Deen, and Memphis-based barbecue specialists Patrick and Gina Neely. Making the jump from Food Network, Elliot created and executive-produced The Chew (ABC 2011-), a daily food and entertaining roundtable hosted by style expert Clinton Kelly, nutrition expert Daphne Oz, and celebrity chefs Carla Hall, Michael Symon and Mario Batali. Elliot slipped back into a performing role on the series, providing the voiceover announcements and occasionally booming a deliberately over-the-top, Barry White-like "Oh yeah, baby. ." over particularly luscious close-ups of a dish.