[2] He served in the United States Marine Corps,[2] and, shortly after, studied directing with Theodore Komisarjevsky in New York City.
[2][3] Vanoff was a cue card holder on The Perry Como Show and later became its associate producer.
[4] In the 1960s, he produced more than ten hours of television every week, including shows with Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Don Knotts, Milton Berle and Sonny and Cher.
[2][3] In 1990, he was named Showman of the Year by the Publicists Guild of America (which later merged into the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees).
[4] Vanoff died of cardiac arrest at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, aged 61.