Hugh Downs
| Hugh Downs | |
|---|---|
Hugh Downs in 1972
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| Born |
Hugh Malcolm Downs February 14, 1921 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television broadcaster, host, producer, author |
| Years active | 1945–1999 |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Shaheen (m. 1944) |
| Children | 2 |
Hugh Malcolm Downs (born February 14, 1921) is a long-time American broadcaster, television host, news anchor, TV producer, author, game show host, and music composer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as co-host of the NBC News program Today from 1962-71, host of the Concentration game show from 1958-69, and anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20 from 1978-99. He also served as announcer/sidekick for Tonight Starring Jack Paar, host of the PBS talk show Over Easy, and co-host of the syndicated talk show Not for Women Only.
Downs was born in 1921 in Akron, Ohio to Edith (née Hicks) and Milton Howard Downs, who worked in business. He was educated at Lima Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio; Bluffton College, a Mennonite school in Bluffton, Ohio; and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, during the period 1938-41.
He worked as a radio announcer and program director at WLOK in Lima, Ohio, after his first year of college. In 1940 he moved on to WWJ in Detroit. Downs served in the United States Army during World War II in 1943 and then joined the NBC radio network at WMAQ as an announcer in Chicago, Illinois, where he lived until 1954. He married a coworker, Ruth Shaheen in 1944, three days after his 23rd birthday. He also attended Columbia University in New York City during 1955–56.
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