Gene Rayburn (born Eugene Rubessa December 22, 1917 – November 29, 1999) was an American radio and television personality. Eugene Rubessa (pronounced /ruːˈbeɪʃə/) in Christopher, Illinois, was an only child of Croatian immigrants and graduated from Knox College. He chose his stage name by randomly pointing at a page in the telephone book, after being told Rubessa sounded "too Italian".