| Bill Rafferty | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Rafferty June 17, 1944 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Other name(s) | Bill Raftery |
| Occupation | Comedian/Game show host |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Spouse(s) | Regina Miletic (1968-present) |
Bill Rafferty (born June 17, 1944) is a comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts (1984, syndicated), Card Sharks (1986-87, syndication), and Blockbusters (1987, NBC). He is sometimes credited as Bill Raftery.
Rafferty was born in Queens, New York. His first national TV exposure came as a roving reporter on the NBC reality series Real People which ran from 1979-1984.
Rafferty also did some guest spots on episodes of Laugh-In in the late 1970s version of the show.
During his brief game show hosting stints, Rafferty developed several catchphrases, including "dual implication", meaning that either contestant can win the game or match with the next correct answer on Blockbusters and "the land of parting gifts" which was used on both Blockbusters and Card Sharks, meaning that the person who lost the game wins whatever prizes mentioned by the announcer in the closing plug.
Before his success as a comedian and television personality, Rafferty was a taxi cab driver in New York City. After he moved to California he was a butcher at the Bolinas Store in Bolinas, California.
Rafferty is now currently the host of a television show on Retirement Living TV, called "Retired and Wired", which debuted in October 2007.[1].
|
|