Charles Van Doren, Figure in Game Show Scandals, Dies at 93

Charles Van Doren at New York's hotel Roosevelt, on Oct. 14, 1959. Van Doren, who admitted his television quiz show performances in the 1950s had been rigged, died on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Canaan, Conn. He was 93. AP Photo, File

HARTFORD, Conn.—Charles Van Doren, the dashing young academic whose meteoric rise and fall as a corrupt game show contestant in the 1950s inspired the movie “Quiz Show” and served as a cautionary tale about the staged competitions of early television, has died. He was 93.

He died of natural causes on April 9 at a care center for the elderly in Canaan, Connecticut, said his son, John Van Doren. Funeral services will be private.