Hometown: Dallas, TX
Birthdate: July 26
All About Chris
Chris Harrison began his television career by covering local sports in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Dallas, Texas native went to Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship and then made the natural transition to sports casting with a local station.
During his six years there, he worked his way up the ranks from part-time sportscaster to weekend sportscaster. He also had the opportunity to cover hard news stories, including the 1995 tragedy at the Federal Building, an event which profoundly affected his perspective on life and career.
A visit to L.A. in 1999 for an audition for a horseracing network led to a permanent move. Later that year, Harrison landed the job as host of HGTV’s “Designer’s Challenge.” Now in its fifth year, it has consistently been one of the networks highest rated shows. In 2001 Harrison became host of ABC’s hit romance/reality series, “The Bachelor” & “The Bachelorette.”
Harrison hosted a full season (65 episodes) of “Mall Masters,” which was done at Minnesota’s Mall of America. He has played a reporter in several feature films and television series, including “The Practice,” “Bounce” and “Showtime,” starring Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy.
Hobbies
In his spare time, Harrison still plays soccer and has become addicted to golf. He has developed a great appreciation for the weather and lifestyle of Southern California, and spends as much time as possible outdoors with his college sweetheart and wife of more than 10 years, Gwen, three-year-old son Joshua and six-month-old baby daughter Taylor.
(Bio provided by ABC)
