Mike Wolfe

Mike Wolfe spent many years digging through old warehouses and rundown barns across America in search of hidden treasures and vintage items, a lifelong passion that turned him into one of the country's foremost foragers and star of the popular hit reality series "American Pickers" (History Channel, 2010- ).

Born in Joliet, IL, Wolfe was the second of three children raised by a single mother. Growing up in a family where money was tight, he began at age four rooting through the trash, where he found prized treasures such as a box of stickers and abandoned bicycles. While riding his bike around the neighborhood, an older child reportedly offered him $5 for it, which he promptly took and began his lifelong passion as a picker.

In his twenties, Wolfe was a competitive cyclist, leading him to open a bike store and repair shop in Bettendorf, IA. His years of repairing, buying, and selling vintage bikes made Wolfe realize that picking could be more than just a hobby, so he closed his shop and hit the road.

For almost two decades, he traveled across the country in search of cool finds, logging in more than 60,000 miles on his cargo van. He often traveled with his childhood friend, Frank Fritz, who was also an avid picker.

To share the stories of the people he met, Wolfe documented his adventures on the road that eventually became the focus of the soon-to-be hit reality series "American Pickers."

"American Pickers" followed Wolfe and Fritz as they drove cross-country and through the back roads of America looking for forgotten treasures. They foraged through small, rural towns looking for dilapidated barns and old warehouses, which the pair saw as potential goldmines packed with rare finds and collectibles.

After its debut in 2010, "American Pickers" became one of the History Channel's highest-rated shows, and catapulted Wolfe and Fritz into reality television stardom. Week after week, viewers tuned in to watch them negotiate with various types of collectors, many of them offbeat, and try to get them to part with their prized collection, be they film posters, antique toys, old cars, and all sorts of rare items. They later sold their second-hand scores at their Antique Archeology stores located in Le Claire, IA and Nashville, TN.

The series benefited from a good dose of comedy stemming from the genuine chemistry and easy banter between its co-stars, who often competed with each other as to who would net the best pick of the day.

Aside from the show, Wolfe had other successful ventures, including establishing Kid Pickers, an online community for budding pickers aged seven to 13. In September 2012, CBS announced that it would produce a comedy show set in an antiques and collectibles shop based on Wolfe's life as a picker.

By Candy Cuenco