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Bill Rafferty

Bill Rafferty
Promotional Photo
Born
William Rafferty

(1944-06-17)June 17, 1944
DiedAugust 11, 2012(2012-08-11) (aged 68)
Other namesBill Raftery
Occupation(s)Comedian, game show host
Years active1977–2012
TelevisionLaugh In (1977-78)
Real People (1979-84)
Every Second Counts (1984-85)
Card Sharks (1986-87; nighttime)
Blockbusters (1987)
Spouse
Regina Miletic
(m. 1968⁠–⁠2012)
(his death)
Children3

William Rafferty (June 17, 1944 – August 11, 2012) was an American comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts (1984–1985, syndicated), Card Sharks (1986–87, syndication), and Blockbusters (1987, NBC).

Early life

Rafferty was born in Queens, New York. He was the fourth and youngest child of Henry Rafferty, Sr., and Martha (Degnan) Rafferty.

Career

Before his career in television, Rafferty was a military policeman in the United States Army. He was also a butcher in Bolinas, California.

His first national TV exposure was as a co-host on the NBC reality series Real People, which ran from 1979 to 1984. Originally, he was one of the five in-studio co-hosts before becoming a field correspondent ("roving reporter"), though he still made occasional studio appearances.

Rafferty also made guest appearances on episodes of Laugh-In in the late 1970s version of the show. Rafferty was the host of a television show on Retirement Living TV, called Retired and Wired, which debuted in October 2007.[1]

Personal life

Rafferty married Regina Miletic on May 25, 1968, in Queens, New York. Together they had three children. Rafferty died from congestive heart failure on the morning of August 11, 2012.[2]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Above the Rim Self Documentary
1997 Mad City Bill Gottsegen
2010 The Prankster Presenter

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Great American Laugh-Off Self Television special
1977–1978 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Regular Performer 6 episodes
1980 Mating and Dating in the '80s Self (Host) Television film
1981 Texas Himself Episode #1.240
1987 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Dean Bridges Episode: "Green Lipstick"
1998, 1999 Nash Bridges Eliot Brighton / Kenneth 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ "Home". www.rl.tv. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  2. ^ Buzzerblog on Twitter. Accessed 11 August 2012.


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