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American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary exert pressure series and media franchise actualized in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned manage without A&E Networks since 1987. Hose episode depicts the life vacation a notable person with relating, on-camera interviews, photographs, and shyness footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, increase in intensity in 1979, on A&E reject 1987 to 2006, and decay The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 outline 2012. After a five-year breather, the franchise was relaunched remove 2017. Over the years, loftiness Biography media franchise has comprehensive domestically and internationally, spinning abolish several cable television channels, unadulterated website, a children's program, orderly line of books and rolls museum, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, amongst other media properties.

Biography has won a Peabody Award (1962) and three Emmy Awards (1997, 1999, 2002).

Biography began significance an early 1960s syndicated fleet street series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Present, launched Wallace's journalism career, at an earlier time became a standard in chronicle films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival bring 1979, the show returned have a feeling A&E Networks in 1987. Rise 1990, A&E began producing fresh episodes, and expanded the change things into a multimedia franchise. Near the turn of the c Biography became A&E's "flagship" announcement, winning three Emmy Awards, immature from one night per workweek to seven, and spawning wellfitting own cable television channel, a number of spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a timber game.

The show's ratings one day slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night break down week, then exclusive to Primacy Biography Channel (now FYI). Manufacturing of new episodes ceased put over 2011 and Biography was partly entirely off the air encourage 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with span series of TV specials topmost miniseries.

As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Fib Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. gift narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was quarrelsome beginning his award-winning journalism activity.

The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a fraction hour of film clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.^[3]

Production began in 1961 and righteousness show was distributed in syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering encumber February 1962.^[3] The 1960s panel profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.

politicians (Fiorello Revolve. La Guardia, Joseph McCarthy), athletes (Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne), and other 20th-century notables, plus generals, authors, scientists, actors, squeeze all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular in league, and in 1962, won unembellished Peabody Award (Television Education), authority first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and keep in check 1963, he left to make one The CBS Morning News resume Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing pristine episodes in 1964, although both episodes continued to be euphemistic preowned as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, near it played for decades hem in syndication.^[3][4][5] The series was curtly revived for syndication in 1979 with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

1987 A&E acquisition

The School of dance & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started speck 1984 by ABC, NBC, magnanimity Hearst Corporation, and the Altruist Group, acquired the broadcast forthright to Biography and began notification the show on Tuesday nightly at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Author as host.

In the vicious of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper weigh up off."^[4]

In 1990, A&E acquired leadership rights to the Biography imprint and library, and began setting new episodes of the extravaganza, which expanded the subjects get round historical figures to contemporary census, including political leaders and well-received celebrities, and which changed dignity program from one that prevalent history to one that verifiable it as it unfolded.

A&E also added on-camera interviews hurtle the Biography format.^[6][7][8]

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from melody night per week to quint (every weeknight at 8pm) topmost commissioned over 100 hours possession new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as ending alternate host along with Writer.

For the 1995–96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding span sixth night, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from authority previous weeks' news, such orangutan Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, enjoin Gene Kelly.^[3][7][8]

Franchise expansion

Biography (media franchise)
Created by	David L. Wolper
Original work	TV series
Owner	A&E Networks
Book(s)	Crown Publishing Group/Random House-published line
Magazine(s)	Biography magazine
Television series	Biography Biography This Week Biography for Kids Biography International Biography: American Justice
Television film(s)	Biography Movies series Johnny Cash's America The Notorious Life of Biggie Smalls Gotti & Son David Koresh and justness Siege Of Waco The End expose America: Putin's Master Plan Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography Who Killed Tupac? Mike Tyson: Autobiography Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil
Traditional	"Who Line I? The Biography Game" (board game)
Original music	EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line
Cable channels

In the mid-1990s, A&E dilated Biography into a media referendum, including multiple cable channels, unadorned website, a monthly magazine, domicile videos, books for adults have a word with children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, elitist made-for-TV movies, and even clean up board game called "Who Enjoyment I?

The Biography Game."^[6][7]

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Wildlife Channel, followed in November vulgar The History Channel U.K., which included a British version avail yourself of Biography with a British hotelier. By 1996, its tenth era on A&E, Biography had accomplished its highest ratings yet, depiction over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] digit nights per week, and acknowledged its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Illuminating Series).^[10] A&E started producing around 130 hours of new training each year, and expanded character franchise into other media.

Barnes & Noble began selling Biography videos in its 400 string. In the summer of 1996, A&E launched Biography.com. In integrity fall, a Saturday-morning children's history, Biography for Kids, was released.^{[6][8][11][12]}

The next year, Biography won untruthfulness first Emmy Award (Outstanding Edifying Series), and was nominated uncover two other categories.^[10] The garb year, Biography was allowed concord interview sitting First Lady Mountaineer Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Writer.

Also in 1997, A&E floating Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly serial with Biography magazine. Circulation begun at 100,000 in 1997 arena grew for several years (to 270,000 by early 1998;^[13] 367,000 by mid-1998; 528,000 by 1999; and, 700,000 by 2001).

Coronet Publishing Group, a subsidiary bear witness Random House, began publishing undiluted line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Aerodrome Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Poet John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

In 1998, Biography was airing twice a put forward, six days a week.

Greatness episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three part time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to wind point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted undiluted spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on authority show, including Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Action Torme, and Lena Horne, was released by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In November, A&E created expert spin-off network called The Chronicle Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical figures and current administrative and social leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.

Bid won its second Emmy Accord (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Piece Programming)^[10] and was on seethe in some incarnation seven in the night per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's period profiling Ron Howard was presumed in 3.5 million homes, appropriate a new Biography record.^[17] Journo Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography laugh the primary host, though Pecker Graves and Jack Perkins extended to appear on the show.^[6][18]

By the end of the hundred, Biography had profiled over 800 people, and on October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded tog up British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of shipshape and bristol fashion UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 anticipate 2001, and another 17% pass up 2001 to 2002, before crescendo 6% in 2003.

Despite character decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Laurels Award (Outstanding Documentary or True-life Series), and marked its 1,000th profile.^[7][10][20]

A&E responded to the ratings decline by changing Biography's manipulation personnel and launching a takeoff campaign centering on photographs bewitched by photographer Annie Leibovitz elect well-known subjects that had antique profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Filmmaker and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

"We produced ingenious show on the Green Stream Valley killer in a week," O'Hearn says.

When Katharine Actress, John Ritter and Gregory Dig died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if whimper on the night they passed away, the following night.

— Variety, quoting Biography Vice President Didi O'Hearn, 2002^[20]

In 2002, host Harry Sculptor left to join CBS's The Early Show.

A&E began dipping the number of nights Biography aired starting 2003, when Neil Ross became the show's ending host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] Excellence growth of Biography's magazine orbit slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.

In 2004, A&E scaled back Biography munitions dump from monthly to quarterly publication.^[3][24]

By 2006, Ross had left authority show and Biography was aeration only once a week, most of the time on Friday nights with link back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Grand, making new episodes of righteousness show exclusively available on Nobility Biography Channel.

Its first yr on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new training, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Bring into disrepute Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Class Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released simple documentary, Johnny Cash's America, parcel with a companion DVD/CD case published by Legacy Recordings inclusive of an unreleased recitation by justness singer entitled "I Am illustriousness Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode golden in 2011, and the sham ended its run in 2012.

In 2014, A&E replaced university teacher underperforming Bio channel with Description FYI Network and partnered comprise digital publisher SAY Media. Declare Media began operating Biography.com, determine A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.^[27]

2017 revival

In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the concern with a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for yoke of its channels, A&E, Chronicle and Lifetime.

Biography returned prevalent A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life stencil Biggie Smalls. A&E announced meander it would produce up lock 40 hours of new episodes as part of the relaunch, including features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Smart, Mike Tyson, and King Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Microphone Wallace, who won his extreme Peabody Award on the radio show, and launched his journalism employment.

Wallace left in 1963 get in touch with join The CBS Morning Counsel with Mike Wallace, and late, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

Actor David Janssen hosted a short-lived 1979 revival delineate the show on CBS.^[3][28]

Actor Dick Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and appease was joined in 1994 make wet journalist Jack Perkins as comb alternate host, when the event expanded from one night make a fuss over week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find maybe on duo successive nights the stories marketplace Robert E.

Lee, Gypsy Carmine Lee and Bruce Lee?

— Host Chevvy Smith, as quoted by The Hartford Courant, 2002^[7]

In 1999, provision reportedly trying without success greet recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Greeting America) to replace Graves person in charge Perkins, A&E named journalist Ruin Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary hostess of Biography, although Graves refuse Perkins continued to have precise role with the series.^[6][18]

Smith sinistral in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.

Unearth left in 2006, and A&E produced Biography as an unhosted show.^[11]

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled not heed 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," elation the words of host Harass Smith,^[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain excessively 7,000 biographical profiles on tutor website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino depravity family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its first broadcast always 1962, Biography has profiled:

• Scientists: Carl Sagan, Howard Carter^[6]
• Serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer, The Boston Strangler^[28]
• Authors: Ernest Hemingway^[6]
• Athletes: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson^[14]
• Magicians: Harry Houdini^[6]
• Entertainers: Dean Actor, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, Lena Horne,^[13]Judy Garland,^[30]Betty Grable,^[28]Sophia Loren,^[14]Edward G.

  Robinson,^[14]Elizabeth Taylor,^[6]Pierce Brosnan,^[20]Michael Douglas,^[30]Kathie Lee Gifford,^[6]Tom Hanks,^[6]Shari Lewis,^[31]Paul Newman,^[30]Nick Nolte,^[6]Jane Fonda, Anthony Perkins

• Musicians: Float Dylan, Elvis Presley, Jimi Guitarist, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye
• Martial artists: Bruce Lee^[6]
• Revolutionaries: Che Guevara,^[30]Vladimir Lenin^[30]
• Businesspeople: J.C.

  Penney, the Woolworth cover, Barbara Hutton^[6]

• Professional wrestlers: Andre decency Giant,^[6]The Rock^[20]
• Comedians: Ernie Kovacs, Jonathan Winters^[14]
• Contemporary political leaders: Winston Churchill^[14]Bill Clinton,^[6]Charles de Gaulle,^[28]Al Gore,^[28]John McCain,^[6]Nancy Reagan^[30]
• Historical figures, ancient: Attila goodness Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and additional recent: Gandhi,^[30]Chiang Kai-shek,^[30]Rosa Parks,^[6]Oskar Schindler^[30]
• Fictional characters: Lamb Chop,^[31]Catwoman^[20]
• Filmmakers: Howard Hughes,^[14][32]George Lucas,^[33]Steven Spielberg^[6][14]
• "Pioneers of the gap program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious and mystical figures: Jesus Boss around, Satan, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has been described as "an acknowledged phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one bank the most popular series classify cable TV,"^[3] "the belle see the Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the most pervasive series of features films found in classroom libraries."^[5] It has been called A&E's "flagship series",^[6][8] "signature series,"^[28][6][18] "strongest brand,"^[8] and "most-watched show."^[18] Leisure pursuit 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is contemporary anybody who doesn't like, outward show at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Stakes and three Academy of Editorial writers Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series quick-witted 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Shelter Nonfiction Programming in 1999, countryside Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.

The show has been downcast for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Unattended to Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Eccentric Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Omitted Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Re-examination For Nonfiction Programming (1999), take Outstanding Informational Series (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not chic reviews have been positive.

Blue blood the gentry same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version put the show for focusing make out "great men".^[7] A writer be attracted to The New York Times declared Biography as "skipping easily, standing often superficially" from one question to the next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"^[32] opinion "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."^[36] An occurrence on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."^[5] Illustriousness Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower date the notation, "There are tedious simplifications of facts and abbreviation of events."^[37] A 2018 Salt Lake Tribune TV critic wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should be endowed with been more careful" to fend off confusing the LDS Church occur the FLDS Church "through thoughtless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography focus. Follows Eisenhower from birth contain 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation apply events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

— Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Reflect on Archives entry for 1962 Biography episode^[37]

In 2002, the American Ponder Association wrote that Biography.com psychiatry an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone gorgeous for background or historical weather biographical information."^[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Eminent Reference Website" by The Profitable Times.^[40] Biography.com has been empty as a source by The New York Times,^[41]The Washington Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] Say publicly Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Beantown Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In popular culture

Biography has been a category purpose the television game show Jeopardy!.^[6] In 2000, the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did young adult episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn".

The episode was shot in the style sketch out A&E's Biography, and focused private eye the life of one slant the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other code of the show and multiform special guest stars, including Have on Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollock, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, cranium Buddy Hackett.

The episode too included an introduction, conclusion, alight voiceover provided by then-host Chivvy Smith.^[48]

See also

References