Details About Ray Combs: Measurements, Ethnicity, Age, Wedding

Known for movies

Short Info

Died	June 2, 1996, Glendale, California, United States
Spouse	Debra Jo Loomis
Mark	His cordless microphone (starting on post-1990 episodes of Family Feud (1988))
Fact	Though he was very happy in meeting the families on Family Challenge (1995), he really wasn't very happy with this hosting project on cable, because for him to revitalized his career as a game show host, he had to start all over again, waiting for bigger and better opportunities, when he actually had committed suicide.

Ray Combs was born on April 3, 1956 in Hamilton, Ohio. He was the youngest of five children. His father was a Baptist minister and his mother was a homemaker. Combs was raised in a strict religious household. He graduated from Hamilton High School in 1974.

Combs began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. He gained national attention after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1986. Combs went on to host the game show Family Feud from 1988 to 1995. He also hosted the game show The New Family Feud from 1996 to 2002.

Combs died of suicide on June 2, 1996. He was survived by his wife, Deborah, and their two children, Erin and Dylan.

General Info

Full Name	Ray Combs
Died	June 2, 1996, Glendale, California, United States
Profession	Actor, Comedian, Presenter
Nationality	American

Family

Spouse	Debra Jo Loomis
Children	Raymond Neil Combs III, Chelsy Jae Combs, Kirby Lee Combs, Kelly Jo Combs, Whitney Nicole Combs, Cody Ryan Combs
Parents	Raymond Neil Combs, Sr., Anita Jean Waters Combs
Siblings	Connie Combs-Riggs

Accomplishments

Nominations	Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host
Movies	The 1984 Los Angeles Comedy Competition with Host Jay Leno
TV Shows	Family Challenge, Family Feud

Social profile links

IMDB	http://imdb.com/name/nm0173667

Marks

#	Marks / Signs
1	His cordless microphone (starting on post-1990 episodes of Family Feud (1988))

Quotes

#	Quote
1	[on hosting Family Feud (1988)]: I'm real excited about being on CBS and hosting this show. I have been studying all of the great CBS shows. I think I'm prepared, so if you're ready, let's have the first item up for bids.
2	(Trademark shout, when revealing high-scoring answers on Family Feud (1988)) Bam!
3	(In 1988, on succeeding Richard Dawson as the host of Family Feud (1988)): "People say those are big shoes to fill. I don't have to wear his shoes. I've got my own".

Facts

#	Fact
1	A decade after his death, his mother, Anita Jean Waters Combs, passed away on April 4, 2006, at age 68.
2	Best remembered by the public as the second host of Family Feud (1988).
3	Worked with Gene Wood on 2 game shows: Family Feud (1988) and Family Challenge (1995).
4	Though he was very happy in meeting the families on Family Challenge (1995), he really wasn't very happy with this hosting project on cable, because for him to revitalized his career as a game show host, he had to start all over again, waiting for bigger and better opportunities, when he actually had committed suicide.
5	14 years after his death, his father, Raymond Neil Combs, Sr., passed away on February 1, 2010, who lived to be 76.
6	His father, Raymond Neil Combs, Sr., was 22, and his mother, Anita Jean Waters Combs, was only 18, when they had him.
7	Died on his wife's birthday.
8	Actor Lonzo Jones lived in his guest house in Glendale, California.
9	The only person, ever, to receive a standing ovation on his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). He did a comedy routine.
10	Hosted his first game show, Comedy Challenge (1986), in 1986.
11	Children: Raymond Neil Combs III (born September 15, 1978); Kelly Jo Combs (born August 25, 1980); Whitney Nicole Combs (born June 26, 1983); Chelsy Jae Combs (born July 2, 1987); Kirby Lee Combs (born October 30, 1988) and Cody Ryan Combs (born March 16, 1991).
12	In an attempt to make a post-Family Feud (1988) comeback, he tried out for a proposed talk show that never materialized.
13	Shortly before his death, Ray Combs had his last comedy club close due to financial troubles and disputes with business associates, went into debt by several thousand dollars on bank loans and credit cards, all of which led him to suicide.
14	On July 4, 1988, Ray Combs was introduced formally to America as the new host of Family Feud (1988).
15	After the 1993-1994 season, due to declining ratings, Goodson Productions decided to let Richard Dawson return as host of Family Feud (1988), replacing Combs. The ratings continued to slide, and the show was canceled in 1995.
16	Was involved in an automobile accident that nearly left him paralyzed in the summer of 1994.
17	Hosted his second and final game show Family Challenge (1995) on The Family Channel, which lasted until his death in 1996. Reruns continued to air until after his death until fall 1996 when future Match Game (1998) host Michael Burger replaced Combs. The show was canceled in early 1997.
18	Was a stand up comedian.

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
Vampire in Brooklyn	1995		Game Show Host
In Living Color	1993	TV Series
227	1988	TV Series	Ray Combs
Amen	1988	TV Series	Harold Buckner
Overboard	1987		Elk Cove: Cop at Hospital
The Golden Girls	1987	TV Series	Bob Henderson
You Again?	1986	TV Series	Wayne / Delivery Man
The Facts of Life	1985	TV Series	Technican

Miscellaneous

Title	Year	Status	Character
Amen	1989	TV Series production consultant - 4 episodes
Down to Earth	1985	TV Series audience warmup - 3 episodes

Writer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Me & Mrs. C.	1986	TV Series story - 1 episode
Comedy Challenge	1986	TV Movie

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
The 1984 Los Angeles Comedy Competition with Host Jay Leno	2010	Video	Comedian
Family Challenge	1995	TV Series	Himself - Host, (1995-1996)
Howard Stern	1995	TV Series	Himself
Survivor Series	1993	TV Special	Himself
WWE Raw	1993	TV Series	Himself
The 20th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards	1993	TV Special	Himself
Family Feud	1988-1993	TV Series	Himself - Host
The Larry Sanders Show	1992	TV Series	Himself
The Price Is Right	1988-1992	TV Series	Himself - Special Guest / Himself / Himself - Guest
One on One with John Tesh	1992	TV Series	Himself
WrestleMania VIII	1992	TV Special	Himself
In Living Color	1991	TV Series	Himself
The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast	1989	TV Movie	Himself
The New Hollywood Squares	1987	TV Series	Himself
Comedy Challenge	1986	TV Movie	Himself - Host

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling	2012	Documentary	Himself
Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology	2010	Video	Himself
The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling	2007	Video	Himself
WWE WrestleMania: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 2	2005	Video	Himself
E! True Hollywood Story	2002	TV Series documentary	Himself
The Most Outrageous Game Show Moments	2002	TV Special	Himself