Rich Jeffries (born Jefferson Ray Richards, September 1, 1938March 30, 2012) was an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

announcer.

Early life

Rich grew up in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

and attended Bass High School. After being a drummer in a local band, Rich decided to enter show business and moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

to pursue a career as a TV and movie actor. After appearing in bit roles on various television shows and movies, Rich worked as a lighting technician before beginning work for Mark Goodson Productions.

Career

Jeffries also was the first announcer of ''

Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differe ...

'' with

Bert Convy Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting ''Tattletales'', ''Super Password'' and '' Win, Lose or Draw''. Early life Convy was born in St. Lou ...

in the mid 1980s. Although there are no references provided to substantiate the following claims, it's believed Jeffries was a frequent substitute announcer. Among the shows he subbed on were ''Password Plus'' and ''

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour ''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – ''Match Game'' and ''Hollywood Squares'' – into an hour-long format. The series ran from October 31 ...

'', substituting for Wood; ''

Time Machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

'', where he subbed for Charlie Tuna, and ''

Love Connection ''Love Connection'' is an American television dating game show in which singles attempt to connect with a compatible partner. Originally hosted by Chuck Woolery, the show debuted in syndication on September 19, 1983, and ended on July 1, 1994, ...

'', where he subbed for Wood, once again, which was his last substitute announcing job, before the job was given to veteran game show announcer

Johnny Gilbert John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...

, and later to John Cervenka, one of ''

The Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...

''. Jeffries was also one of the rotation of announcers that took turns announcing for ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also i ...

'' after original announcer

Johnny Olson John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...

died in 1985, but was passed over in favor of

Rod Roddy Robert Ray Roddy (September 28, 1937 – October 27, 2003) was an American radio and television announcer. He was primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows '' W ...

in 1986.

Personal life and death

Jeffries was married to Brenda Chitwood, whom he married in 1978, and the two lived in southern California. Jeffries died on March 30, 2012 from complications due to

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory fail ...

at the age of 73.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffries, Rich 1938 births 2012 deaths Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis Game show announcers People from Atlanta