What Is Deney Terrio's Net Worth?
Deney Terrio is an American choreographer, actor, and television host who has a net worth of $1 million. Deney Terrio is perhaps best known as the host of the television musical variety show "Dance Fever," which aired from 1979 to 1987. Deney famously served as the dance coach and choreographer for John Travolta in the iconic film "Saturday Night Fever." He also appeared in films such as "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "A Night In Heaven," "The Idolmaker," "When Disco Ruled the World," and "Knights of the City."
More recently, Deney Terrio has appeared in and hosted several specials for VH-1 and PBS, including "Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion," "VH-1 Where Are They Now?," and "The Joy of Disco."
In 1991, Terrio sued Merv Griffin, the producer of his hit show "Dance Fever," for sexual harassment. Deney sought $11.3 million in damages. The case was dismissed. Currently, Terrio is exploring his disco roots as the host of his own disco radio program on Sirus satellite radio. In 2015, he sued the toy company Hasbro over a toy figure named Vinnie Terrio. A year later, this case was settled out of court.
Early Life
Deney Terrio was born Denis George Mahan on June 15, 1950, in Revere, Massachusetts. He was raised by his family in Titusville, Florida. As a youth, he enjoyed dancing and took many classes, eventually becoming a professional dancer.
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Career
Terrio transitioned into working as a dance coach and choreographer. He rose to fame when he worked as a coach and choreographer for John Travolta in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" in 1978. He also was often featured as a dancer on the "Merv Griffin Show." From that experience, he was selected to host a new show created by Griffin called "Dance Fever." The show first aired in January 1979. Terrio hosted the series until September 1985, when he was replaced by Adrian Zmed. During his tenure as host, the show's theme was performed by a musical team called Triple "S" Connection.
While hosting "Dance Fever," Terrio booked a number of other jobs as well. He appeared in the films "The Idolmaker" in 1980, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" in 1982, "A Night in Heaven" in 1983, and "Knights of the City" in 1986. He also had a number of guest-starring roles on popular television series like "The Love Boat."
After his time with "Dance Fever" came to an end, Deney began touring nightclubs in the 1990s and worked as a judge for various dance contests. He later made other television appearances in the 2000s. He has appeared on several specials on VH1 and also co-hosted the 2004 PBS special "Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion." The special featured many popular disco artists from the 1970s as well as actress Karen Lynn Gorney, who had been in "Saturday Night Fever." In the special, Terrio and Gorney danced to a live performance of the song "More Than a Woman" performed by the Taveres, just as Gorney had done with John Travolta in the film.
Terrio hosted his own disco radio show, "Saturday Night Dance Party," on the Sirius Satellite Radio network. He is also a choreographer and competitor at regional "Dancing with the Stars" competitions.
