Hugh Downs
Hugh Malcolm Downs (February 14, 1921 – July 1, 2020) was an American radio and television broadcaster, announcer and programmer; television host; news anchor; TV producer; author; game show host; talk show sidekick; and music composer. A regular television presence from the mid 1940s until the late 1990s, he had several successful roles on morning, prime-time, and late-night television. For several years, he held the certified Guinness World Record for the most hours on commercial network television before being surpassed by Regis Philbin.
Hugh Downs | |
|---|---|
Downs in 1972 | |
| Born | February 14, 1921 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 2020 (aged 99) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Education | Bluffton University Wayne State University Columbia University (BA) Hunter College (GrDip) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1939–2007 |
| Spouse |
Ruth Shaheen
(m. 1944; died 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
Downs served as announcer and sidekick for Tonight Starring Jack Paar from 1957 to 1962, co-host of the NBC News program Today from 1962 to 1971, host of the Concentration game show from 1958 to 1969, and anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20 from 1978 to 1999.
Downs started his career in radio in 1939 and began in live television in 1945 in Chicago, where he became a regular on several nationally broadcast programs over the next decade. He moved to New York City in 1954, when he was invited to do a program there. Among other shows during his career, he hosted the PBS talk show Over Easy and was the occasional co-host of the syndicated talk show Not for Women Only.