Eleanor Mondale
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Jane Mondale Poling (January 19, 1960 – September 17, 2011) was an American
radio personality
television
host, and actress.
and former Vice President
Walter Mondale
. Her older brother is former Minnesota
State Senator
Theodore A. "Ted" Mondale
. Her younger brother is attorney
William H. Mondale, the former assistant Minnesota
attorney general
. For her senior year of high school, Mondale attended St. Timothy's, a boarding school outside of Baltimore. After graduating from St. Lawrence University
in Canton
, New York
, she moved to begin a career in Hollywood.
, Mondale quickly earned a reputation in the media for being a "wild-child," although she claims many of the rumors were unfounded. She reportedly dated Arnold Schwarzenegger
in 1979 after they met on the set of The Villain
(1979), for which she was a film production assistant.
Mondale was married three times. Her first marriage, to football player Keith Van Horne
, lasted from April 9, 1988, until August 1989, when Van Horne filed for divorce. In 1990 she dated rock singer-songwriter Warren Zevon
, traveling on tour with him to Australia.
Mondale's second marriage, from June 21, 1991, to November 1991, was to Greg Malban, a DJ known as Greg Thunder.
In 1998, Mondale was named in the Starr Report
as having met with President Clinton at the White House on December 6, 1997, while Monica Lewinsky
, whom Clinton had been having an affair with, was kept waiting at the White House for 40 minutes. During Lewinsky's wait, a Secret Service officer reportedly told her that Clinton was meeting with Mondale, prompting Lewinsky to fly into a rage. The Washington Post reported: "Lewinsky 'stormed away, called and berated Mrs. Currie (Betty Currie
) from a pay phone.' Currie, in turn, 'hands shaking and almost crying,' told the officers that Clinton was 'irate' that they had told Lewinsky about Mondale and warned a Secret Service supervisor that 'someone could be fired.'"
In 1996, several mainstream publications, including the Washington Post, had implied that Mondale was having a fling with Clinton—claims that she denied. "What's funny is every time I've seen the president there have been at least five other people in the room," she told the Chicago Sun-Times
. "I don't think we would have carried on this so-called affair right in front of Barbra Streisand
and people like that!"
In 1999, Mondale sold her house in Los Angeles to move to New York to be with her boyfriend at the time, New York plastic and reconstructive surgeon Joe DeBellis.
In June 2005 Mondale married Minneapolis rock musician Chan Poling
of the group The Suburbs
. Poling has three children with ex-wife Terri Paul: son Chandler Jr. and daughters Maddie and Olivia. Mondale and Poling lived on a small farm in Minnesota
, where they raised miniature horses until her death.
. She then returned to college, graduating in 1982. By January 1983, Mondale was back in Hollywood, where she had small roles on TV shows such as Three's Company
, Dynasty
, and Matt Houston
.
Eleanor Mondale was a regular guest on Howard Stern's E! TV show during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Mondale began her journalism career while still in Los Angeles, taking a job at KABC-TV
in 1985. She left the station in late 1985 and soon moved to Chicago, getting her first radio break as a helicopter reporter at WMAQ (AM). She continued taking fill-in radio news jobs at various Chicago radio stations, including WCKG-FM. She also was waiting for the pilot of a King World Productions
show, "The Rock 'n Roll Evening News," to be sold. Within a few months the show began airing in national syndication, with Mondale working as its Midwest correspondent.
In 1986, Mondale signed a one-year contract with powerhouse Chicago radio station WGN (AM)
to appear as a frequent contributor to programs. In early 1987, Mondale joined Chicago radio station WCKG-FM as a morning news anchor. In June 1987, Mondale shifted to being the co-host of WCKG's morning show alongside John Fisher. In early 1988, Mondale took a leave of absence from WCKG to collaborate with a Chicago writer on a book about the children of U.S. presidents.
In June 1989, Mondale took a job in Minneapolis as an entertainment reporter for WCCO-TV
. In March 1990, Mondale quit unexpectedly just a few days before a local magazine was to publish a feature on Mondale titled "Walter and Joan's Wild Child."
After leaving WCCO and spending some time in Australia
, Mondale became a morning sidekick on WLOL-FM in Minneapolis, where she remained until the station was bought by Minnesota Public Radio
in 1991. She also hosted "The Great American TV Poll" on the Lifetime cable channel.
In April 1991, Mondale returned to Chicago's airwaves as a morning sidekick at WKQX-FM, working alongside morning host Robert Murphy. Mondale and fellow sidekick Dan Walker were forced out of WKQX in January 1993.
After leaving WKQX, Mondale began working in television
. In March 1993, Mondale and Robin Leach
co-hosted a two-hour special on national television about Madonna
titled "Madonna Exposed." In early 1994, Mondale began working as a correspondent for NBC
's "Today" show.
In mid 1994, Mondale landed a job as anchor/host of "Q and E," a half-hour weekly celebrity show airing on E! Online cable channel. In 1996, Mondale was hired by CBS
as a Los Angeles
-based correspondent for "This Morning."
Mondale hosted the E! Online shows Wild On in 1997 and E! News Live. She worked on ESPN
as a reporter on the horse racing
events, which lasted two years (2002–2003). She covered for ESPN2
the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
. After ESPN, she did stories on auto shows around the world for the Speed Channel
. She worked for the CBS Television show This Morning
.
In 2006, after battling brain cancer for the first time, Mondale signed on as a host at WCCO-AM. She remained there until 2009, when she left the airwaves to go on disability because of her cancer's recurrence.
. Mondale was again diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2009 and was scheduled to undergo surgery later that same month. She died of brain cancer at her home in Minnesota on September 17, 2011, aged 51.
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
host, and actress.
Biography
Mondale was the only daughter of Joan MondaleJoan Mondale
Joan Adams Mondale is the wife of Walter Mondale, the 42nd Vice President of the United States and later the U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is an advocate for the arts....
and former Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
. Her older brother is former Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Theodore A. "Ted" Mondale
Ted Mondale
Theodore A. "Ted" Mondale is a politician and entrepreneur. He is the elder son of the former senator, ambassador and Vice President Walter Mondale and Joan Mondale. He is a former Minnesota state senator and is currently the CEO of Nazca Solutions, Inc...
. Her younger brother is attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
William H. Mondale, the former assistant Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
. For her senior year of high school, Mondale attended St. Timothy's, a boarding school outside of Baltimore. After graduating from St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
in Canton
Canton (village), New York
Canton is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The village is centrally located in both the town of Canton and the county of St. Lawrence. The population was 5,882 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of St. Lawrence County...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she moved to begin a career in Hollywood.
Personal life
After graduating from St. Lawrence UniversitySt. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
, Mondale quickly earned a reputation in the media for being a "wild-child," although she claims many of the rumors were unfounded. She reportedly dated Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in 1979 after they met on the set of The Villain
The Villain
The Villain is a 1979 American film. A parody of western films, it was directed by Hal Needham and starred Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, Foster Brooks, Strother Martin, Ruth Buzzi, Jack Elam, and Mel Tillis...
(1979), for which she was a film production assistant.
Mondale was married three times. Her first marriage, to football player Keith Van Horne
Keith Van Horne
Keith Van Horne is a retired American football tackle.-High school:Keith attended Fullerton High School, Fullerton, California.His Fullerton football varsity team mate was future NFL...
, lasted from April 9, 1988, until August 1989, when Van Horne filed for divorce. In 1990 she dated rock singer-songwriter Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, traveling on tour with him to Australia.
Mondale's second marriage, from June 21, 1991, to November 1991, was to Greg Malban, a DJ known as Greg Thunder.
In 1998, Mondale was named in the Starr Report
Starr Report
The Starr Report was an investigative account of United States President Bill Clinton by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and released on September 11, 1998.-Background:...
as having met with President Clinton at the White House on December 6, 1997, while Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
, whom Clinton had been having an affair with, was kept waiting at the White House for 40 minutes. During Lewinsky's wait, a Secret Service officer reportedly told her that Clinton was meeting with Mondale, prompting Lewinsky to fly into a rage. The Washington Post reported: "Lewinsky 'stormed away, called and berated Mrs. Currie (Betty Currie
Betty Currie
Betty Currie is the former personal secretary for Bill Clinton...
) from a pay phone.' Currie, in turn, 'hands shaking and almost crying,' told the officers that Clinton was 'irate' that they had told Lewinsky about Mondale and warned a Secret Service supervisor that 'someone could be fired.'"
In 1996, several mainstream publications, including the Washington Post, had implied that Mondale was having a fling with Clinton—claims that she denied. "What's funny is every time I've seen the president there have been at least five other people in the room," she told the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. "I don't think we would have carried on this so-called affair right in front of Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and people like that!"
In 1999, Mondale sold her house in Los Angeles to move to New York to be with her boyfriend at the time, New York plastic and reconstructive surgeon Joe DeBellis.
In June 2005 Mondale married Minneapolis rock musician Chan Poling
Chan Poling
-Musical career:He was born in 1957 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He moved to Minnesota with his family when he was a child. He studied composition at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and, after graduating from high school there, went on to study composition and performance at the...
of the group The Suburbs
The Suburbs
The Suburbs were an alternative punk rock/funk/new wave band from Minneapolis, Minnesota popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. The band frequently headlined at Minneapolis's most influential music clubs including Jay's Longhorn Bar and First Avenue....
. Poling has three children with ex-wife Terri Paul: son Chandler Jr. and daughters Maddie and Olivia. Mondale and Poling lived on a small farm in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where they raised miniature horses until her death.
Acting career
Mondale dropped out of college in 1981 to move to Hollywood. She worked briefly as an extra and had one speaking line in the TV series 240-Robert240-Robert
240-Robert is an American drama series that ran on ABC from 1979 to 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams.-Synopsis:...
. She then returned to college, graduating in 1982. By January 1983, Mondale was back in Hollywood, where she had small roles on TV shows such as Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, and Matt Houston
Matt Houston
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:...
.
Eleanor Mondale was a regular guest on Howard Stern's E! TV show during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Journalism career
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
in 1985. She left the station in late 1985 and soon moved to Chicago, getting her first radio break as a helicopter reporter at WMAQ (AM). She continued taking fill-in radio news jobs at various Chicago radio stations, including WCKG-FM. She also was waiting for the pilot of a King World Productions
King World Productions
King World Productions, Inc. was a production company and a syndicator of television programming in the United States until its eventual 2007 incorporation into CBS Television Distribution...
show, "The Rock 'n Roll Evening News," to be sold. Within a few months the show began airing in national syndication, with Mondale working as its Midwest correspondent.
In 1986, Mondale signed a one-year contract with powerhouse Chicago radio station WGN (AM)
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
to appear as a frequent contributor to programs. In early 1987, Mondale joined Chicago radio station WCKG-FM as a morning news anchor. In June 1987, Mondale shifted to being the co-host of WCKG's morning show alongside John Fisher. In early 1988, Mondale took a leave of absence from WCKG to collaborate with a Chicago writer on a book about the children of U.S. presidents.
In June 1989, Mondale took a job in Minneapolis as an entertainment reporter for WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
. In March 1990, Mondale quit unexpectedly just a few days before a local magazine was to publish a feature on Mondale titled "Walter and Joan's Wild Child."
After leaving WCCO and spending some time in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Mondale became a morning sidekick on WLOL-FM in Minneapolis, where she remained until the station was bought by Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
in 1991. She also hosted "The Great American TV Poll" on the Lifetime cable channel.
In April 1991, Mondale returned to Chicago's airwaves as a morning sidekick at WKQX-FM, working alongside morning host Robert Murphy. Mondale and fellow sidekick Dan Walker were forced out of WKQX in January 1993.
After leaving WKQX, Mondale began working in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. In March 1993, Mondale and Robin Leach
Robin Leach
Robin Douglas Leach is an English celebrity writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors...
co-hosted a two-hour special on national television about Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
titled "Madonna Exposed." In early 1994, Mondale began working as a correspondent for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's "Today" show.
In mid 1994, Mondale landed a job as anchor/host of "Q and E," a half-hour weekly celebrity show airing on E! Online cable channel. In 1996, Mondale was hired by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based correspondent for "This Morning."
Mondale hosted the E! Online shows Wild On in 1997 and E! News Live. She worked on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
as a reporter on the horse racing
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
events, which lasted two years (2002–2003). She covered for ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
. After ESPN, she did stories on auto shows around the world for the Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
. She worked for the CBS Television show This Morning
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
.
In 2006, after battling brain cancer for the first time, Mondale signed on as a host at WCCO-AM. She remained there until 2009, when she left the airwaves to go on disability because of her cancer's recurrence.
Film career
- Mondale had five speaking lines in the opening minutes of the 1991 film Drop Dead FredDrop Dead FredDrop Dead Fred is a 1991 American fantasy dramedy film directed by Ate de Jong, produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films and released and distributed by New Line Cinema...
- Mondale narrated the feature documentary film Fritz: The Walter Mondale StoryFritz: The Walter Mondale StoryFritz: The Walter Mondale Story is a documentary film detailing the life of former American Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale. It is narrated by his daughter, Eleanor Mondale.-Plot Synopsis:...
(2008), which details the life of her father and aspects of her own childhood. - Mondale appeared in the short film Mirage (2004), directed by Sayer Frey and produced by Shelli Ainsworth.
Illness and death
After a bout of seizures, Mondale was diagnosed with brain cancer in June 2005. In the summer of 2006, the cancer was in remission, but she announced in February 2008 that a small tumor had returned and that she would seek treatment at the Mayo ClinicMayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
. Mondale was again diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2009 and was scheduled to undergo surgery later that same month. She died of brain cancer at her home in Minnesota on September 17, 2011, aged 51.