Who is 'Svengoolie's' Rich Koz? Wife, Family, and Net Worth (2025)

Biography |

April 18, 2023

Who Exactly Is Rich Koz?

Rich Koz is an American actor and television program presenter best known for his role as Svengoolie in the TV show “Son of Svengoolie,” which aired from 1978 to 1982 and then again in 1995 under the name “Svengoolie,” among countless other contributions to the show business sector.

Wikimedia Commons Has A Page Dedicated To Rich Koz’s Age, Childhood, And Education.

Who is 'Svengoolie's' Rich Koz? Wife, Family, and Net Worth (1)

Rich Koz was born on March 12, 1952, in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He hasn’t revealed anything about his childhood, including the names of his parents. He attended Northwestern University after high school and graduated with a degree in communications.

Career

Rich began his career at his hometown’s high school radio station, WMTH-FM Maine East. He eventually drew the notice of Jerry G. Bishop, the original Svengoolie and host of the show “Screaming Yellow Theatre.” Rich began sending content for the show and was soon officially called up to the show. Rich grabbed every opportunity that came his way, and they worked together on the show until it was discontinued in 1973.

Nonetheless, their partnership did not end there, as the two began working on their show, which aired in the mornings on WMAQ radio in Chicago.

Rich also began working on commercials and syndicated features with radio great Dick Orkin, such as “Chicken Man Returns for the Last Time Again.”

Bishop left Chicago for San Diego in 1978, but not before striking a deal with Rich to allow the latter to launch his show, “Son of Svengoolie.” The show debuted on WFLD-TV in 1979 and ran through 1986 in its inaugural season. The show garnered Rich a slew of local Emmys during its run, and it was syndicated to Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and San Francisco.

However, when the station’s ownership changed, the new owner, Rupert Murdoch, and his subsidiary Fox News withdrew Rich Koz from the program.

“Koz Zone”

Rich returned to WFLD, which is now Fox 32, three years later, but with a new name and a new show. They didn’t have a name for the new venture at first, but those who wanted to write were told to submit them to “Lose Weight by Selling Real Estate, No Money Down.” The show contained cartoons, with Koz hosting and performing sketch comedy segments that would be broadcast in the middle of the cartoon.

Rich’s next local Emmy winner came from the show, which became known as “Koz Zone for Kids.” In addition, he hosted the WCKG radio morning show and co-hosted live 4th of July and New Year’s Eve programs, while simultaneously working as the weekend and fill-in weather anchor for Fox 32 News.

Ascend To Prominence

Rich was chosen as one of the faces of the independent station WCIU-TV, channel 26 when Svengoolie returned to the screen in 1995.

Before starting the show, he got permission from the original Svengoolie, Jerry G. Bishop, to use the moniker “Svengoolie.” The show continued in its previous structure, with Rich airing B-production horror and sci-fi films and making comic comments, and offering knowledge about the films. He was getting more popular with every new show, collecting regional Emmy awards, while he has also been accepted to the NATAS/Emmy “Siler Circle” for “outstanding achievements to Chicago television.

Among the films he aired that helped him achieve the stardom he has today are “Creature from the Black Lagoon” 1954, “Revenge of the Creature” (1955), “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), and “The Birds” (1963). In addition to Emmys, he has eight Rondo Statuette Awards, which he received for being the Favorite Horror Host at the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Rich has hosted over 165 episodes since the first on WCIU-TV, and since 2011, his show has been shown on the popular MeTV vintage TV network, which has further boosted his popularity.

Rich Koz’s Net Worth, Height, Weight, And Personality

Rich Koz is a successful TV program host and one of the horror genre’s legends. His net worth has grown significantly, and Rich Koz’s wealth is anticipated to be around $3 million as of mid-2020, according to sources.

Rich is 6ft (1.85m) tall, although his weight has not been revealed in the media. His eyes are brown, and his hair is dark brown.

Personal Life Of Rich Koz, Marriage, Wife, And Children

Who is 'Svengoolie's' Rich Koz? Wife, Family, and Net Worth (2)

Rich, despite his constant presence on television, hasn’t revealed much about his personal life, preferring to concentrate on his career. He does, however, have a wife, albeit he has never revealed her name.

She was the one who saved him in 2012 when he had a heart attack; she contacted the paramedics, and he was brought to the hospital, where he eventually came out after being evaluated. He had his first heart attack in 2002 and returned to work after two months.

The Rich Koz Legacy

Rich has become a Chicago legend, and in addition to receiving the Silver Circle, he is honored every Halloween in Chicago since 2014, when the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago declared Rich Koz/Svengoolie Day. In 2019, he was also awarded by the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

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Who is 'Svengoolie's' Rich Koz? Wife, Family, and Net Worth (2025)

FAQs

Does Rich Koz have any children? ›

Koz has been married since the early 1980s to the same woman. They have a daughter who was born between his Son of Svengoolie run and the return of the show. His daughter was born with spina bifida. In March 2002, Koz suffered a heart attack and had to undergo two angioplasty procedures.

What nationality is Rich Koz? ›

Rich Koz was born on March 12, 1952 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Svengoolie (1995), Son of Svengoolie (1978) and The Koz Zone (1989).

Who is Svengoolie in real life? ›

Svengoolie is an American hosted horror movie television program. The show features horror and science fiction films and is hosted by the character Svengoolie, who was originally played by Jerry G. Bishop from 1970 to 1973, before Rich Koz succeeded him in the role from 1979 on.

Where is Svengoolie from? ›

Svengoolie is the the local monster movie host from Chicago. Svengoolie hosts horror movies,90% of them are bad. Think of the show as a Mystery Sci-Fi theater in the Chicagoland area.

Is Rich Koz going to retire? ›

Svengoolie is NOT retiring and moving to Florida,” Koz said, thwarting misinformation via his Facebook page in July 2022. “Some people have nothing better to do than spread rumors.” Rich Koz, in character as Svengoolie, prepares at the MeTV booth at the New York Comic Con on Saturday morning, Oct. 8, 2022.

Who is the new woman on Svengoolie? ›

Sarah Palmer as Gwengoolie, an undead Hollywood enchantress from the golden age of cinema. Scott Gryder as IMP (Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein), a loveable trickster, and Bill Leff as Nostalgiaferatoo, an 800-year-old vampire.

Is Svengoolie retiring? ›

In 2022, Spawn of Svengoolie was announced as a nation-wide avenue for fans to send in audition tapes. The exact endgame of the said promotion is relatively unclear. Rich has stated numerous times on social media and in interviews he is not planning on retiring any time soon.

What happened to Svengoolie? ›

“Rich's condition is improving and his family has asked for privacy at this time,” Neal Sabin,... Chicago television icon Rich Koz, better known as Svengoolie, is reportedly recovering in an area hospital after suffering a heart attack over the weekend.

Is Jerry G. Bishop still alive? ›

What does Berwyn have to do with Svengoolie? ›

The Berwyn running gag is named after the city of Berwyn, Illinois. In 2015, Sven explained the history behind it so: The original Sven was doing his show around the time Rowan and Martin's Laugh In and Johnny Carson were making small town jokes about Burbank.

Who is the female saxophone player on Svengoolie? ›

Anita X. Orcist is a reoccurring guest musician who plays the saxaphone during songs. She is portrayed by Natalie Scharf, Doug Graves's daughter. She is sometimes named "Anita Exorcist," but it's always the same pun name.

Where does Rich Koz live? ›

Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.

How popular is Svengoolie? ›

The show's following expanded since it was given a national audience eight years ago — with as many as a million viewers tuning in on Saturday nights. To attract talent, a beacon was beamed across the Internet late last year announcing the “Spawn of Svengoolie” talent search.

Who is Nosferatu on Svengoolie? ›

Bill Leff: Nostalgiaferatoo

It looks like we don't have any photos or quotes yet.

Who plays Nostalgia Tattoo on Svengoolie? ›

Sarah Palmer (from left) as Gwengoolie, Bill Leff as Nostalgiaferatoo, Rich Koz as Svengoolie and Scott Gryder as IMP pause during a taping of “Svengoolie.”

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