Personal Life
Bruner was born in Ames, Iowa in 1931 to Wallace and Audrey (Scott) Bruner. He was raised in Tell City, Indiana. He married his classmate Patricia (Thomas) Bruner after graduation. They had eight children: Rickey, born in 1950, Sherri, born in 1951; Michael, born in 1952, Ted and Tim (twins), born in 1954, Kathy and Kevin (twins) born in 1955, and Kristine, born in 1957. They divorced in the late 60s. Bruner met his second wife, Natalie, when she was a contestant on What's My Line?. They had two children, Wally, Jr. and Lee. Natalie co-starred on Wally's Workshop, and in the early 1990s, ran unsuccessfully for the United States Congress on the Democratic ticket against Dan Burton of Indiana. Her husband served as her campaign manager. Wally Bruner was also active in politics. He served as campaign manager for Senator Vance Hartke (D-Indiana), and as west coast coordinator of Senator Eugene McCarthy's campaign for president. He also produced an album of poetry with Senator Everett Dirkson (R-Illinois) and created one of the first film libraries for the purpose of selling archived interviews and footage to the network news programs. Wally Bruner was one of the USA's first heart transplant recipients, after he suffered a massive heart attack in his 50s. Bruner died in 1997 of liver cancer in Indianapolis, Indiana at the age of 66.
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