Comprehensive information and links about Gene Rayburn

Gene Rayburn in Christopher, Illinois (he chose his stage name by randomly pointing at a page in the phone book after being told Rubessa sounded 'too Italian'). He was the only child of Croatian immigrants, and he graduated from Knox College. After the birth of his first child Lynn, Rayburn was quickly drafted into the U.S. Air Force. Rayburn became a popular radio personality in New York City on WNEW-AM. He was half of the first two-man team in morning radio, partnering with Jack Lescoulie and later Dee Finch. before breaking into television as the original announcer on in 1961 and remained with the show until 1973.

In 1962 Rayburn first hosted the game show that he was best known for hosting, . The original version, which aired on NBC, lasted until 1969; in 1973 the show returned to CBS with a new format. The popular , which featured regular celebrity panelists Richard Dawson, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly, ran until 1979 with a concurrent , with Rayburn hosting the Match Game segment and sitting on the panel of the Hollywood Squares segment. The show lasted only nine months on NBC.

During and between his ended, a reporter publicly disclosed his age, which was much older than many people believed. Rayburn had trouble finding jobs after that, blaming the reporter for disclosing his age and subjecting him to age discrimination.

Rayburn was married to Helen Ticknor from 1940 until her death in October, 1996. They had one child, a daughter, Lynn. Helen appeared with Gene on the TV game show "Tattletales" in the 1970s and '80s.

. Also, he was very quick on his feet and could make the best of any situation. In addition, you could tell that he really enjoyed being around people and he communicated well with them, especially celebrities. He was the perfect combination of goofiness and togetherness for a game show host. He knew when to get back to the game and when to let things go. Rayburn was unabashedly liberal in his politics. So much that, on one occasion on Match Game (CBS), the name of William F. Buckley, Jr. (a famous paleoconservative) was brought up. Rayburn said that Buckley was "...always wrong!"

Rayburn died in Gloucester, Massachusetts, of congestive heart failure at the age of 81.