"WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE" CELEBRATES THE GREAT WHITE WAY WITH "BROADWAY GIVEAWAY WEEK," AIRING DECEMBER 10-14

Lead Actors from Hit Musical "The Lion King" Appear as Contestants to Benefit The Actors Fund

Contestants and Audience Members Win Tickets to See Broadway Shows All Week

NEW YORK (December 7, 2012) -- "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," with Emmy Award-winning host Meredith Vieira, will honor The Great White Way next week with "Broadway Giveaway Week," airing December 10-14. Check local listings or go to http://www.millionairetv.com for time and channel.

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of "The Lion King" on Broadway, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" will host two lead actors from the hit musical as contestants on Monday, December 10. Chantel Riley (Nala) and Ben Jeffrey (Pumbaa) will play "Millionaire" as a two-person team and will donate their winnings to The Actors Fund, a national human services organization that helps professionals in performing arts and entertainment in times of need, crisis or transition. The duo is guaranteed to win a minimum of $10,000 for The Actors Fund.

Throughout "Broadway Giveaway Week," "Millionaire" contestants will be asked one Broadway-themed question during gameplay. If they answer correctly, they will win tickets to a Broadway performance of "Mary Poppins," "The Lion King" or "Newsies" for themselves, as well as members of the studio audience.

Earlier this fall, Meredith Vieira made a cameo appearance in Broadway's "The Lion King" as a "Bird Woman" in the hit musical's iconic opening number, "Circle of Life." Her 'one-night-only' cameo took place on November 1, 2012, "The Lion King's" first performance after Superstorm Sandy had forced the production to shut down for several days. "I was so proud to be part of that particular show that night," Vieira said. Vieira was in the audience for "The Lion King's" opening night performance 15 years ago and said she remembers being "mesmerized by the entire show." "To actually be back and be part of it, is quite something. It's something I'll never forget," she added.

About "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire":

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," with host Meredith Vieira, currently is in its 11th season. Vieira has hosted the daytime version of "Millionaire" since the show debuted in 2002. She is a multi-Emmy Award-winner and has won two Daytime Emmys for her work on "Millionaire" (2005 and 2009). Throughout her ten seasons on the show, Vieira has hosted over 1,800 episodes and handed out more than $70 million in winnings to "Millionaire" contestants. "Millionaire" is produced by Valleycrest Productions Ltd. and is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Rich Sirop is the executive producer. In addition to serving as the host of the show, Meredith Vieira serves as co-executive producer. Visit "Millionaire's" website at http://www.millionairetv.com.