Jim McKay

Jim McKay was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. In 1961, he hosted ABC's influential "Wide World of Sports." In 1994, he was the studio host for the FIFA World Cup coverage. In 1950, he hosted a variety show for CBS in New York. In 1955, he hosted the NBC game show "Make the Connection." In 1947, he joined the TV station WMAR-TV in Baltimore. McKay began his entertainment career acting in films like the comedy "The World's Greatest Athlete" (1973) with Tim Conway. He appeared in a number of television specials, including "The Dorothy Hamill Special" (1976-77), "The Kentucky Derby" (ABC, 1985-86) and "The Preakness Stakes" (ABC, 1985-86). In the eighties, McKay devoted his time to various credits, such as "The Calgary Olympic Holiday Special" (ABC, 1987-88), "U.S. Figure Skating Championships" (ABC, 1987-88) and "100th Tournament of Roses Parade (ABC/89)" (ABC, 1988-89). He also worked on "101st Tournament of Roses Parade (ABC/90)" (ABC, 1989-1990). Additionally, he could be seen on a variety of television specials like "World Figure Skating Championships Presented by MasterCard" (1995-96), "The 11th Annual Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame" (CBS, 1995-96) and "The 123rd Kentucky Derby" (ABC, 1996-97). He also appeared in "The 122nd Preakness Stakes" (ABC, 1996-97) and "The 125th Kentucky Derby" (ABC, 1998-99). McKay last acted in the dramatic sports film "Miracle" (2004) with Kurt Russell. McKay passed away in June 2008 at the age of 87.