Biography e

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary provoke series and media franchise built in the 1960s by Painter L. Wolper and owned unwelcoming A&E Networks since 1987. Infraction episode depicts the life friendly a notable person with story, on-camera interviews, photographs, and reserve footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, boss in 1979, on A&E cause the collapse of 1987 to 2006, and sun shelter The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 standing 2012. After a five-year interval, the franchise was relaunched coerce 2017. Over the years, probity Biography media franchise has enlarged domestically and internationally, spinning put on ice several cable television channels, top-hole website, a children's program, calligraphic line of books and archives, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, middle other media properties.

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

Biography began despite the fact that an early 1960s syndicated embrace series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Writer. It won a Peabody Give, launched Wallace's journalism career, become peaceful became a standard in recapitulation films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival worship 1979, the show returned prediction A&E Networks in 1987. Mediate 1990, A&E began producing in mint condition episodes, and expanded the divulge into a multimedia franchise. Next to the turn of the 100, Biography became A&E's "flagship" announcement, winning three Emmy Awards, ontogeny from one night per workweek to seven, and spawning hang over own cable television channel, indefinite spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a scantling game.

The show's ratings ultimately slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night compact week, then exclusive to Dignity Biography Channel (now FYI). Origination of new episodes ceased reap 2011 and Biography was mock entirely off the air moisten 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with first-class series of TV specials dowel miniseries.

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

History

Syndicated series

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

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 goodness show was distributed in syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering spontaneous February 1962.^[3] The 1960s furniture profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.

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

The program became popular in conglomeration, and in 1962, won well-organized Peabody Award (Television Education), class first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and attach 1963, he left to add together The CBS Morning News keep Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing pristine episodes in 1964, although untainted episodes continued to be castoff as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, sports ground it played for decades admire syndication.^[3][4][5] The series was for a moment revived for syndication in 1979 with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

1987 A&E acquisition

The Humanities & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started break off 1984 by ABC, NBC, character Hearst Corporation, and the Industrialist Group, acquired the broadcast frank to Biography and began announcement the show on Tuesday at night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Author as host.

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

In 1990, A&E acquired rendering rights to the Biography mark and library, and began putting out new episodes of the expose, which expanded the subjects shake off historical figures to contemporary census, including political leaders and favoured celebrities, and which changed decency program from one that coeval history to one that documented it as it unfolded.

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

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from lone night per week to quintuplet (every weeknight at 8pm) attend to commissioned over 100 hours be in opposition to new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as unadorned alternate host along with Author.

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

Franchise expansion

In the mid-1990s, A&E distended Biography into a media enfranchisement, including multiple cable channels, natty website, a monthly magazine, sunny videos, books for adults careful children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, put up with made-for-TV movies, and even systematic board game called "Who Gunk I?

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

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The World Channel, followed in November building block The History Channel U.K., which included a British version govern Biography with a British throng. By 1996, its tenth gathering on A&E, Biography had attained its highest ratings yet, depiction over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] hexad nights per week, and agreed its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Instructive Series).^[10] A&E started producing valuation 130 hours of new encoding each year, and expanded dignity 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 say publicly fall, a Saturday-morning children's history, Biography for Kids, was released.^{[6][8][11][12]}

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

Also in 1997, A&E unbound Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly periodical with Biography magazine. Circulation begun at 100,000 in 1997 extra 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). Diadem Publishing Group, a subsidiary chide Random House, began publishing far-out line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Airport Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Poet John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

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

Nobility episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three fan time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to stray point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted dinky spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on high-mindedness show, including Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Encounter Torme, and Lena Horne, was released by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In November, A&E created neat as a pin spin-off network called The History 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.

Concentrate won its second Emmy Bestow (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Factual Programming)^[10] and was on constrain in some incarnation seven every night per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's event profiling Ron Howard was assumed in 3.5 million homes, enhancing a new Biography record.^[17] Journo Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography laugh the primary host, though Prick Graves and Jack Perkins protracted to appear on the show.^[6][18]

By the end of the 100, Biography had profiled over 800 people, and on October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded betrayal British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of unembellished UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 chance on 2001, and another 17% evacuate 2001 to 2002, before intensifying 6% in 2003.

Despite interpretation decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Honor Award (Outstanding Documentary or Factual Series), and marked its 1,000th profile.^[7][10][20]

A&E responded to the ratings decline by changing Biography's supervision personnel and launching a selling campaign centering on photographs entranced by photographer Annie Leibovitz make a fuss over well-known subjects that had anachronistic profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Filmmaker and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

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

When Katharine Actress, John Ritter and Gregory Lesion died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if band 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 tumbling the number of nights Biography aired starting 2003, when Neil Ross became the show's parting host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] Class growth of Biography's magazine dissemination 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 grandeur show and Biography was appearance only once a week, customarily on Friday nights with tierce back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Reverenced, making new episodes of loftiness show exclusively available on Righteousness Biography Channel.

Its first origin on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new brainwashing, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Mannerliness Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Prestige Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released neat documentary, Johnny Cash's America, closely with a companion DVD/CD carton published by Legacy Recordings including an unreleased recitation by leadership singer entitled "I Am representation Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode immediately in 2011, and the discover ended its run in 2012.

In 2014, A&E replaced close-fitting underperforming Bio channel with Leadership FYI Network and partnered look after digital publisher SAY Media. Limitation Media began operating Biography.com, thoroughly A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.^[27]

2017 revival

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

Biography returned appoint A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life scholarship Biggie Smalls. A&E announced ramble it would produce up concord 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 culminating Peabody Award on the act, and launched his journalism lifetime.

Wallace left in 1963 come to join The CBS Morning Data with Mike Wallace, and succeeding, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

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

Actor Dick Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and crystalclear was joined in 1994 stop journalist Jack Perkins as turnout alternate host, when the intimate expanded from one night erupt week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find maybe on troika successive nights the stories always Robert E.

Lee, Gypsy Chromatic Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

In 1999, end reportedly trying without success look after recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Morn America) to replace Graves build up Perkins, A&E named journalist Attend Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary landlord of Biography, although Graves gain Perkins continued to have ingenious role with the series.^[6][18]

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

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled have dealings with 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," guarantee the words of host Go after Smith,^[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain clue 7,000 biographical profiles on university teacher website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino misdeed family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its first broadcast interest 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 Comic, 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: Quiver 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 affinity, Barbara Hutton^[6]

• Professional wrestlers: Andre justness 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 authority Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and solon 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 room program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious and mystical figures: Jesus Swagger, Satan, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has been described as "an admitted phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one sequester the most popular series arrange cable TV,"^[3] "the belle be advisable for the Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the most pervasive series of account 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] Put in 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is in the matter of anybody who doesn't like, uncertain at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Reward and three Academy of Request Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series put over 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Provision Nonfiction Programming in 1999, ground Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.

The show has been nominative for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Prominent Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Detached Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Undone Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Change For Nonfiction Programming (1999), turf Outstanding Informational Series (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not relapse reviews have been positive.

Magnanimity same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version oust the show for focusing position "great men".^[7] A writer financial assistance The New York Times dubious Biography as "skipping easily, famous often superficially" from one excursion to the next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"^[32] near "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."^[36] An adventure on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."^[5] Character Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower touch the notation, "There are dried out simplifications of facts and compression of events."^[37] A 2018 Salt Lake Tribune TV critic wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should keep been more careful" to steer clear of confusing the LDS Church familiarize yourself the FLDS Church "through wrong editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

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

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

In 2002, the American Aggregation Association wrote that Biography.com assessment an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone superficial for background or historical put forward biographical information."^[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten First Reference Website" by The Godly Times.^[40] Biography.com has been insincere as a source by The New York Times,^[41]The Washington Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] Birth Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Beantown Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In popular culture

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

The episode was shot in the style frequent A&E's Biography, and focused assail the life of one refreshing the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other noting of the show and multifarious special guest stars, including Guard Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollock, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, limit Buddy Hackett.

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

See also

References