| Ian Woodley | |
| Nickname: | None |
| Residence: | Lee, London, England |
| Wsop Bracelet Count: | None |
| Wsop Money Finishes: | 3 |
| Wsop Main Event Best Finish Rank: | None |
| Ept Titles: | None |
| Ept Final Tables: | None |
| Ept Money Finishes: | 2 |
Ian Woodley (born 1960) is an English millionaire game show winner and professional poker player, based in Lee, South London.
On 24 December 1999, Woodley won £1,000,000 on Chris Evans' television series TFI Friday, during the Someone's Going to be a Millionaire section of the show. This section was designed to guarantee a winner of £1,000,000 on British television for the first time (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? did not have a £1,000,000 winner until Judith Keppel won on 20 November 2000).
Woodley won the prize by successfully answering the question "In the film American Pie, what was the pie made from – cherries or apples?" After winning the money, Evans asked Woodley if the money would change his life; Woodley responded that it would not, and he intended to remain unemployed. http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Someone's_Going_to_be_a_MillionaireIn fact he was employed by J.Sainsbury Charlton depot as a warehouse operative.[1]
Since winning the prize on TFI Friday, Woodley has become a regular on the poker tournament circuit. In 2005, he won the £200 pot limit Texas hold 'em event at the European Poker Classics, and followed the performance with a 3rd place finish in the £1,500 no limit hold 'em main event, winning over £115,000 across the events.[2] Woodley also won the final broadcast of the PartyPoker.com Poker Den (week 12), earning a further £50,000. This combined with his million pound win on TFI Friday makes him the biggest known gameshow winner in British television history. http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/All_Time_Winners_ListIn 2006, Woodley made the televised final table of the Irish Open event, finishing 2nd for €180,000, and cashed for the first time in the World Series of Poker (WSOP).[3]
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $850,000.[4]
Woodley is divorced, has two sons Greg, Michael and a daughter Laura, and supports Charlton Athletic F.C.