John Carpenter ( game show contestant ) - wikipedia John Carpenter ( game show contestant ) John Carpenter 1968 ( age 48 -- 49 ) Education Rutgers University Occupation IRS agent Known for First top prize winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Home town Northampton, Massachusetts John Carpenter ( born c. 1968 ) is an American game show contestant and IRS agent. He is best known for becoming the first top prize winner on the United States version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He held the record for the largest single win in United States game show history, until it was broken by Rahim Oberholtzer who won $1.12 million on another U.S. quiz show, Twenty One. Carpenter was also the first top prize winner among all international versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ? series. On the November 19, 1999, episode of Millionaire, Carpenter proceeded to advance to the million - dollar question without using any lifelines. He then used his Phone - A-Friend to call his father not for help, but rather to tell him he was going to win the game. Carpenter answered the question correctly and became the show 's first millionaire. His win gave him national recognition and led to multiple talk show appearances, as well as reappearances on Millionaire itself. Contents 1 Career and family 2 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 3 Later work 3.1 Other game show appearances 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Career and family Carpenter is from Northampton, Massachusetts. His father, Tom, worked as a computer program analyst for the Department of Veterans Affairs, while his mother, Gail, served as an administrative assistant for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. In 1986, he enrolled at Rutgers University and graduated in 1990 with a degree in economics. In January 1991, he joined the Internal Revenue Service after completing government exams and tests. In November 1996, Carpenter met his future wife, Deborah, who was studying for a master 's degree at Southern Connecticut State University and worked as a manager of a Fleet Bank branch in New Haven. They married in August 1998. At the time of his appearance on Millionaire, he was 31 years old. When he revealed his profession as an IRS officer on Millionaire, Carpenter was playfully booed by the audience. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire $1 million ( 15 of 15 ) - no time limit Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series `` Laugh - In '' ? A : Lyndon Johnson B : Richard Nixon C : Jimmy Carter D: Gerald Ford Carpenter was originally uninterested in Millionaire but eventually tuned in one night after dinner while having friends over at his house. When he found the show 's higher - tier questions to not be, in his words, `` any more difficult '' than the lower - tier ones, he decided to call in to the show 's hotline for a chance to become a contestant. Carpenter answered all of the hotline questions correctly and was on the show within two days. Host Regis Philbin described Carpenter as having `` cruised right through those first fourteen questions, '' he had proceeded to reach the final question without using any of his lifelines. The $1 million question was, `` Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series ' Laugh - In ' ? '', with the choices being A ) Lyndon Johnson, B) Richard Nixon, C ) Jimmy Carter, and D ) Gerald Ford. Carpenter used his Phone - A-Friend lifeline to call his father not for help, but rather to inform him that he knew the answer. Carpenter later explained, `` I thought I 'd look so cocky if I did n't use any lifelines, so I faked it. '' With his win, Carpenter became the first contestant in the worldwide Millionaire franchise to win the show 's top prize. He said that the only question that had flustered him was one which asked for the location of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Carpenter eventually remembered that the film Tombstone included the gunfight, and he replied correctly with the answer ' Tombstone, Arizona '. While taking a vacation after his win, Carpenter considered quitting his job with the IRS, but eventually decided against it. He explained to Kiplinger 's Personal Finance that `` after the taxes, it 's not change - your - life kind of money if you want to eat every day. '' Carpenter also described the fame as having a bigger impact on his life than the money, later stating : `` The money does n't change your life. What happens afterwards might. '' Later work Shortly after winning on Millionaire, Carpenter played himself in a Saturday Night Live skit. Donald Trump, played by Darrell Hammond, announced that Carpenter would be his running - mate in the presidential election. Afterward, Carpenter pretended to call his father, then shouted, `` Live from New York, it 's Saturday Night ! '' Carpenter also appeared on Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey Show, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and Late Show with David Letterman. Carpenter appeared as himself in the second half of the fourth season of Oz. He plays a contestant in a fictional TV game show called Up Your Ante that the prisoners in Em City are watching. The show within the show is hosted by Gordon Elliott, with Eartha Kitt and Didi Conn appearing as celebrity participants. With Rod L. Evans, Carpenter co-authored a trivia book titled Matching Wits With the Million - Dollar Mind : The World 's Hardest Trivia Quizzes From America 's First Quiz Show Millionaire. The book was published by Berkley Books in 2002. Other game show appearances In 2000, Carpenter appeared in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Champions Edition, in which previous contestants who won $250,000 -- $1,000,000 played again, with half of their additional winnings from the Champions Edition going to a charity of their choice. Carpenter won $250,000, bringing his total Millionaire winnings to $1,250,000. In 2004, Carpenter participated in Super Millionaire, as one of the `` Three Wise Men '' on the episode during which Robert `` Bob - O '' Essig won $1,000,000. He later participated as part of the Mob on NBC 's 1 vs. 100 on October 27, 2006, and as a contestant on the Game Show Network game show Grand Slam. Carpenter appeared on the August 16, 2009 episode of Millionaire in prime time for its tenth anniversary. In the audience with him were his father, his wife, and his son. Additionally, he was also the first expert in the `` Ask the Expert '' lifeline for the eighth season of the syndicated series. See also Biography portal List of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ? top prize winners References Jump up ^ `` Millionaire Makeovers ! ''. People. Vol. 54 no. 20. Time Inc. November 13, 2000. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015. Jump up ^ Petrozello, Donna ( February 3, 2000 ). `` Million - plu $ reply an educated guess ''. New York Daily News. p. 101. ^ Jump up to : Jerome, Jim ( December 6, 1999 ). `` Many Happy Returns ''. People. Vol. 52 no. 22. Time Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Rosenthal, Phil ( November 20, 1999 ). `` Contestant wins $1 million ''. Chicago Sun Times. p. 30. Jump up ^ Taylor, Frances Grandy ( November 20, 1999 ). `` Final answer ? Quiz show : a million to 1 taxman ''. Hartford Courant. p. A1. Jump up ^ Bianculli, David ( November 22, 1999 ). `` Cool million makes red - hot TV ''. New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''. Gameshow Hall of Fame. GSN. January 21, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Vigoda, Arlene ( November 22, 1999 ). `` Million - dollar winner untaxed by celebrity ''. USA Today. Gannett Company. p. 1D. Jump up ^ `` Taxman scoops a million ''. BBC News. November 21, 1999. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014. Jump up ^ Davis, Kristin ( November 2000 ). `` I 'm Rich ! ( Now what ? ) ''. Kiplinger 's Personal Finance. pp. 93 -- 94. ^ Jump up to : Duca, Lauren ( August 15, 2014 ). `` The Final Answer On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ?, 15 Years After It Premiered ''. Huffington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015. Jump up ^ de Moraes, Lisa ( November 23, 1999 ). `` Drab ' Millionaire ' Winner Emerges as a Media Animal ''. The Washington Post. p. C07. Jump up ^ Moore, Frazier ( January 6, 2001 ). `` Wizard of ' Oz ' lives with permanent reminder of gritty show ''. The San Diego Union Tribune. p. E6. Jump up ^ `` Matching Wits with the Million - Dollar Mind : The World ; s Hardest Trivia Quizzes from America 's First Quiz Show Millionaire ''. The Book Depository. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Deggans, Eric ( May 12, 2000 ). `` Miami ' Millionaire ' gets 2nd shot at final answer ''. St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2014. Jump up ^ Bracht, Mel ( May 26, 2000 ). `` Money is n't the root of happiness : Tulsan has more fun in 2nd Millionaire gig ''. NewsOK. Oklahoma Publishing Company. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2014. Jump up ^ Super Millionaire. Season 1. Episode 2. February 23, 2004. ABC. Jump up ^ 1 vs. 100. Season 1. Episode 3. October 27, 2006. NBC. Jump up ^ Owen, Rob ( August 2, 2007 ). `` Dennis Miller rallies around game show all - stars ''. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. WE - 33. Jump up ^ Grosvenor, Carrie ( July 27, 2009 ). `` Millionaire Experts, Former Contestants Announced ''. About.com. About Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2014. Jump up ^ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire : 10th Anniversary Celebration. Episode 6. August 16, 2009. ABC. Jump up ^ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Season 8. Episode 1. September 7, 2009. Syndicated. External links John Carpenter on IMDb Honorary titles Preceded by First Millionaire Top prize winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ( U.S. ) November 19, 1999 Succeeded by Dan Blonsky Preceded by Michael Shutterly All - time American game show winnings leader 1999 -- 2000 Succeeded by Rahim Oberholtzer Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Carpenter_(game_show_contestant)&oldid=803603697 '' Categories : 1960s births Contestants on American game shows Living people People from Hamden, Connecticut Rutgers University alumni Southern Connecticut State University alumni Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ? 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Question: who wants to be a millionaire first winner
Answer: John Carpenter