Gene Rayburn (born Eugene Rubessa December 22, 1917 – died November 29, 1999) was an American radio and television personality. Eugene Rubessa (pronounced /ruːˈbeɪʃə/) in Christopher, Illinois, was an only child of Croatian immigrants and graduated from Knox College.
Trivia[]
He chose his stage name by randomly pointing at a page in the telephone book, after being told Rubessa sounded "too Italian".
Death[]
Rayburn died of congestive heart failure at his daughter's home in Gloucester, Massachusetts on November 29, 1999.
Shows hosted[]
- Make the Connection (1955)
- Choose Up Sides (1956)
- Dough Re Mi (1958-60)
- Head of the Class (1960, unsold pilot)
- Play Your Hunch (1962 daytime, interim host)
- Match Game (1962-69, 1973-82)
- To Tell the Truth (1965, sub)
- The Amateur's Guide to Love (1972)
- TattleTales (1970s, sub)
- Password Plus (1980s)
- Party Line (1983, unsold pilot later reworked into Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak)
- The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983-84)
- Break the Bank (1985; also hosted the 1984 pilot)
- The Movie Masters (1989-90)
Gallery[]
Early Photos[]
Match Game Craziness[]
Rayburn on SNL in 1990[]
Video[]
Links[]
- Gene Rayburn's World @ gameshowutopia.net
- Gene Rayburn at Wikipedia
- Gene Rayburn at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)