Rafael (Riff) Markowitz (born 1938) is the managing director, MC and co-founder (along with Mary Jardin) of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies,[1] which performs at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California, United States. He is also a writer, television producer and director.[2]
Markowitz was born in New York but grew up in Toronto. He ran away from home at the age of 15, worked as a clown for a year, then secured a job as a radio announcer in the north of Canada before moving into television.[3] He created and produced a number of television shows in Canada, including The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Party Game and Bluff. He was also a producer on The Wolfman Jack Show, and creator and executive producer of the HBO TV series The Hitchhiker.[2]
He moved to Palm Springs in his 50s intending to retire, but his continuing interest in theatre led to the offer to restore a vaudeville theatre, which became home to The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.