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Oct 21, 2024 · Gene Rayburn, the jocular host who winked at double entendres during TV's popular "Match Game," has died. He was 81. Rayburn died Monday of congestive heart failure at his daughter's home in...
Gene Rayburn was host of one of TV's most popular game shows, 'Match Game,' and this is a look at his life before, during and after the show.
Dec 4, 1999 · Gene Rayburn, who became a mainstay on television from the 1960's to the 80's as the amiable host of ''The Match Game,'' died on Monday at his home in Beverly, Mass. He was 81. The cause...
- Early Life
- Career
- Personal Life and Death
- Buzzr Brackets
- Goodson-Todman Shows Hosted
Born Eugene Peter Jeljenic in Christopher, Illinois, the younger of two children of Croatian immigrants. Rayburn's father died when he was an infant and his mother moved to Chicago, where she met Milan Rubessa. After she married Rubessa on November 10, 1919, Rayburn took the name Eugene Rubessa. He had an elder brother, Alfred, who was killed when ...
Radio Career
Before appearing on television, Rayburn was an actor and radio performer. He had a morning radio show in New York City, first with Jack Lescouile (Anything Goes) and later with Dee Finch (Rayburn & Finch) on WNEW (now WBBR). Rayburn's pairing with Lescouile and Finch helped to popularize the now-familiar morning drive radio format. When Rayburn left WNEW, Dee Finch continued the format with Gene Klavan. Rayburn later took the lead role in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie when Dick Van Dyke...
Television Career
Breaking into television as the original announcer on Steve Allen's Tonight, Rayburn began a long association with game show producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman in 1953. He first appeared on Robert Q. Lewis's The Name's the Same; Rayburn frequently sat in for regular panelist Carl Reiner. In 1955, he took over as host of the summer replacement game show Make the Connection from original host Jim McKay (and appearing with his WNEW morning show successor Gene Klavan). From there he hosted sh...
Match Game
From 1962 to 1969. Rayburn hosted Match Game. In the original version which aired from New York on NBC Rayburn read questions to two panels, each consisting of a celebrity and two audience members. The questions in the original game were ordinary like "Name a kind of muffin or "John loves his _____" Rayburn usually plays it straight, though he would make jokes as the situation warranted. Because it was a live show, very few episodes were recorded; only four are known to exist. The show was ca...
Rayburn was married to Helen Ticknor from 1940 until her death in October 1996. They had one child, a daughter, Lynne. One of his last TV appearances was a 1998 interview with Access Hollywood intended to coincide with the 25th Anniversary of Match Game '73. Portions of the interview have been broadcasted on Game Show Network which in 2001 showed p...
In 2016, Rayburn became the winner of the "Buzzr Brackets" tournament on Buzzr(see "promotional stunts" for details)
Make the Connection (1955) Choose Up Sides (1956) The Match Game (Pilot 1962, Series 1962-1969) Play Your Hunch (1962) It's Predictable (Pilot, 1970) Match Game (1973-1982) The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (Match GameHalf only, 1983-1984)
Barker was a semi-regular panelist on the game shows Tattletales (1975–1976, with wife Dorothy Jo) and Match Game (1973–1980). Barker sat in Richard Dawson 's former place during the first week of Dawson's permanent absence from Match Game .
Match Game. Rayburn on the set of Match Game 76. From 1962 to 1969, Rayburn hosted The Match Game. In the original version, which aired from New York on NBC, Rayburn read questions to two panels, each consisting of a celebrity and two audience members.
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Dec 3, 1999 · Gene Rayburn, the actor and veteran quiz show host best known for emceeing television’s “The Match Game,” has died. He was 81. Rayburn died Monday at his home near Gloucester, Mass., of...
