Bill Rafferty
| Bill Rafferty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Rafferty June 17, 1944 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
August 11, 2012 (aged 68) San Rafael, California |
| Occupation | Comedian, game show host |
| Years active | 1979–2012 |
| Spouse(s) | Regina Miletic (m. 1968–2012) (his death) |
| Children | 3 |
William "Bill" Rafferty (June 17, 1944 – August 11, 2012) was a comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts (1984-1985, syndicated), Card Sharks (1986–87, syndication), and Blockbusters (1987, NBC).
Rafferty was born in Queens, New York. He was the 4th and youngest child of Henry Rafferty, Sr. and Martha (Degnan) Rafferty. He married Regina Miletic on May 25, 1968 in Queens, New York. Before his television days, he was a Military Policeman in the United States Army. He was also a butcher in Bolinas, California.
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. Rafferty was the host of a television show on Retirement Living TV, called Retired and Wired, which debuted in October 2007.[1]
Death
Rafferty died from congestive heart failure on the morning of August 11, 2012.[2][3]