Hugh Downs

Hugh Downs was an American television broadcaster, announcer, and host whose career spanned more than five decades.

Hugh Downs was an American television broadcaster, announcer, and host whose career spanned more than five decades. He was best known for hosting NBC's "Today" and ABC's "20/20", and for earlier work on "The Tonight Show with Jack Paar" and "Concentration".

Early life

Hugh Malcolm Downs was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1921. Sources describe him as a longtime American broadcaster and U.S. Army veteran.

Television career

Downs worked across radio and television in roles including announcer, host, news anchor, and interviewer. His best-known assignments were on "Today" and "20/20", along with earlier work on "The Tonight Show with Jack Paar" and "Concentration". He was announcer and sidekick on "The Tonight Show with Jack Paar" for more than 1,000 episodes, and hosted the daytime game show "Concentration" from 1958 to 1969. He co-hosted NBC's "Today" from 1962 to 1971 and anchored ABC's "20/20" from 1978 to 1999.

Recognition and record

Downs received two Primetime Emmy Awards and was known for a Guinness World Record related to total hours on commercial network television. He was certified by Guinness World Records for the greatest number of hours on commercial network television, later surpassed by Regis Philbin. His career made him one of the most recognizable American television personalities of the 20th century.

Later life and death

Downs left regular broadcasting in the late 1990s and later focused on writing, lecturing, and other interests. He died in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2020 at age 99.