Quick Facts
Biography
Robin Douglas Leach (born 29 August 1941) is an English entertainment reporter and writer, best known for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, from 1984 to 1995, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic details. His voice is often parodied by other actors with his signature phrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams." During the final season, he was assisted by Shari Belafonte, and the show was renamed, Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. He resides in Las Vegas.
Early life
Leach was born in Perivale. During grammar school at Harrow High School, 10 miles (16 km) from London, he edited a school magazine, The Gayton Times, at age 14. At age 15 he became a general news reporter for the Harrow Observer and started a monthly glossy town magazine at age 17.
Career
Leach moved on to the Daily Mail as Britain's youngest "Page One" reporter, at age 18. In 1963, he emigrated to America and wrote for a number of publications (New York Daily News, People, Ladies Home Journal etc.) before launching GO Magazine and then was show business editor of The Star.
Other television work includes reporting for People Tonight, on CNN and Entertainment Tonight and helping start Good Morning Australia, as well as the Food Network. Leach was also a guest at the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania IV, where he read the rules for the championship tournament. In 1993, for the Fox network, Leach hosted an exposé documentary of Madonna titled "Madonna Xposed." The documentary was a biography of Madonna focusing on her career and publicity stunts. Before the documentary aired, he gave Madonna a cell phone number; he claimed that at any point during the airing Madonna could call Leach and argue any point. Madonna never called and the documentary continued without incident. He also hosted Lifestyles spinoff Fame, Fortune and Romance, along with future Today Show host Matt Lauer.
Leach hosted The Surreal Life: Fame Games on VH1 in 2007. He also served as the public address announcer for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Since 1999, he has resided in Las Vegas. He wrote for the Las Vegas Sun and the daily VegasDeluxe.com website from 2008 through June 2016, when he was hired by Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Review Journal.
Leach appeared in the documentary film Maxed Out in 2006, which chronicled the rise of the credit card industry in the U.S. along with increased personal debt among working class people and criticized that industry's practices. Leach remarks, "Nobody would watch Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown". The comment was highlighted by a review in the Baltimore Sun.
Other appearances
- He appeared as himself in Roseanne after the Connors win the lottery, with Robin remarking, "Beer wishes and nacho dreams!"
- He appeared as himself in the feature film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989.
- He appeared as himself in Season 2 Episode 17 of Boy Meets World in 1995.
- He appeared as himself in Season 1 Episode 3 of "Bill Nye the Science Guy"
- He was interviewed on "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" in 1997, until he is a villain named Zoltran.
- He made a cameo appearance in Jermaine Dupri's video "Ballin' Out of Control" in 2001.
- He made an appearance on Penn and Teller: Bullshit! in Season 3 Episode 13, "The Best", in 2005.
- He appeared in "Shark Tank" Season 4 Episode 3 as spokesman for Rock Band Fashion, in 2012.
- He made a cameo appearance in an Old Navy commercial along with Nancy Kerrigan in 2012.
- He introduced the final episode in the 1st season of TV show "Sledge Hammer!" in 1986.
- He appeared in an April 2014 episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" swapping partners with Eric Roberts.
In popular culture
- Rapper Big L named his debut album Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous a play on the TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
- He is mentioned in The Notorious B.I.G's "Juicy".
- He is parodied in Ice Cube's skit song "Robin Lench" from the 1991 Album Death Certificate.
- He is parodied in an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
- In 1995, Lost Boyz debuted "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Shameless" single, a parody of the Rich and Famous motto.
- In 2002, rock band Good Charlotte released their single Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous from their second studio album, The Young and the Hopeless.
- He is mentioned in Fergie and Ludacris' song "Glamorous", along with the Rich and Famous motto.
- He is mentioned in the songs "Grove Street Party Remix" and "Beat Without Bass" from Lil Wayne's mixtape, 'Sorry For the Wait'. Wayne also mentions him in "Burn" on the mixtape, 'Dedication 4'.
- He is mentioned in the Jimmy Buffett song, "King of Somewhere Hot".
- He is mentioned in the Marie Gonsalves song, "Siren City".
- He is mentioned in the Phil Keggy song "Ain't Got No".
- He is mentioned in the Warren G feat. Mack 10 song "I Want it All" by Mack 10
- His program "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is referenced in the 1987 Act single "Snobbery and Decay"
- He is mentioned in the Ryan Leslie song "Swiss Francs"("..lifestyle is extravagant, word to Robin Leach..")
- He is mentioned in the video game Popful Mail for the Sega CD (though his name is misspelled as Robyn)
- He is parodied by Dana Carvey on SNL's Weekend Update with Dennis Miller
- He is parodied in the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Henny Youngman Day"