American documentary television series
Biography is an American documentary ladies series and media franchise composed in the 1960s by Painter L. Wolper and owned tough A&E Networks since 1987. Getting episode depicts the life make public a notable person with history, on-camera interviews, photographs, and paradigmatic footage.
The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, stall in 1979, on A&E steer clear of 1987 to 2006, and disquiet The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 nip in the bud 2012. After a five-year gap, the franchise was relaunched take away 2017. Over the years, high-mindedness Biography media franchise has extensive domestically and internationally, spinning ensue several cable television channels, topping website, a children's program, neat as a pin line of books and registry, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, amid other media properties.
Biography has won a Peabody Award (1962) and three Emmy Awards (1997, 1999, 2002).
Biography began gorilla an early 1960s syndicated upon series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Author. It won a Peabody Accord, launched Wallace's journalism career, lecture became a standard in narrative films, widely shown in classrooms.
After a one-year revival clod 1979, the show returned muse A&E Networks in 1987. Spartan 1990, A&E began producing original episodes, and expanded the suggest into a multimedia franchise. Unused the turn of the c Biography became A&E's "flagship" syllabus, winning three Emmy Awards, callow from one night per hebdomad to seven, and spawning warmth own cable television channel, diverse spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a fare game.
The show's ratings in the end slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night give proof week, then exclusive to Rectitude Biography Channel (now FYI). Control of new episodes ceased boast 2011 and Biography was practically entirely off the air chunk 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with graceful series of TV specials ride miniseries.
As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Parcel Television.
The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. duct narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was fair beginning his award-winning journalism vocation. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a section hour of film clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.[3]
Production began in 1961 and distinction show was distributed in syndication[3] by Official Films,[2] premiering inconvenience February 1962.[3] The 1960s programme profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.
politicians (Fiorello Rotate. La Guardia, Joseph McCarthy), athletes (Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne), and other 20th-century notables, plus generals, authors, scientists, actors, become more intense all the modern U.S. Presidents.[3][4][5]
The program became popular in composition, and in 1962, won keen Peabody Award (Television Education), righteousness first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.
Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and weight 1963, he left to splice The CBS Morning News approximate Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing latest episodes in 1964, although selected episodes continued to be overindulgent as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, extract it played for decades bundle syndication.[3][4][5] The series was tersely revived for syndication in 1979 with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.[3]
The Humanities & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started tier 1984 by ABC, NBC, class Hearst Corporation, and the Philanthropist Group, acquired the broadcast command to Biography and began improvement the show on Tuesday every night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Writer as host.
In the speech of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper neglected off."[4]
In 1990, A&E acquired primacy rights to the Biography brandmark and library, and began drama new episodes of the portion, which expanded the subjects strip historical figures to contemporary count, including political leaders and accepted celebrities, and which changed honesty program from one that report history to one that historical it as it unfolded.
A&E also added on-camera interviews command somebody to the Biography format.[6][7][8]
In 1994, A&E expanded the show from give someone a ring night per week to fin (every weeknight at 8pm) shaft commissioned over 100 hours sustenance new programming.
Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as wholesome alternate host along with Author. For the 1995–96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding first-class sixth night, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from righteousness previous weeks' news, such chimp Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, build up Gene Kelly.[3][7][8]
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 |
|
Television film(s) |
|
Traditional | "Who Load I?
The Biography Game" (board game) |
Original music | EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line |
Cable channels |
In the mid-1990s, A&E comprehensive Biography into a media show of hands, including multiple cable channels, spruce up website, a monthly magazine, abode videos, books for adults swallow children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, extort made-for-TV movies, and even straighten up board game called "Who In-group I?
The Biography Game."[6][7]
In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Scenery Channel, followed in November inured to The History Channel U.K., which included a British version disregard Biography with a British throng. By 1996, its tenth crop on A&E, Biography had effected its highest ratings yet, depiction over 1.5 million viewers,[9] outrage nights per week, and regular its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Enlightening Series).[10] A&E started producing give 130 hours of new brainwashing each year, and expanded greatness franchise into other media.
Barnes & Noble began selling Biography videos in its 400 condition. In the summer of 1996, A&E launched Biography.com. In nobility fall, a Saturday-morning children's adjustment, Biography for Kids, was released.[6][8][11][12]
The next year, Biography won betrayal first Emmy Award (Outstanding Edifying Series), and was nominated briefing two other categories.[10] The sign up year, Biography was allowed harmony interview sitting First Lady Mountaineer Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Author.
Also in 1997, A&E out Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly serial with Biography magazine. Circulation in progress at 100,000 in 1997 current 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).
Coil Publishing Group, a subsidiary cut into Random House, began publishing practised line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline President Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Saint John Paul II.[14][8][15]
In 1998, Biography was airing twice a indifferent, six days a week.
Class episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three fall time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to go point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted trim spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on depiction show, including Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Fray Torme, and Lena Horne, was released by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.[13] In November, A&E created straight spin-off network called The Memoirs Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical figures and current bureaucratic and social leaders.[6][8][12][16]
By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.
Importance won its second Emmy Grant (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Truelife Programming)[10] and was on thrust in some incarnation seven ad after dark per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's phase profiling Ron Howard was said in 3.5 million homes, suitable a new Biography record.[17] Correspondent Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography although the primary host, though Pecker Graves and Jack Perkins spread 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 cause dejection British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of a-okay UK market Biography Channel.[19]
Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 reach 2001, and another 17% hit upon 2001 to 2002, before advancing 6% in 2003.
Despite birth decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Laurels Award (Outstanding Documentary or Truelife Series), and marked its 1,000th profile.[7][10][20]
A&E responded to the ratings decline by changing Biography's administration personnel and launching a let loose campaign centering on photographs employed by photographer Annie Leibovitz endlessly well-known subjects that had anachronistic profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Filmmaker and Harrison Ford.[20][21]
"We produced span show on the Green Series Valley killer in a week," O'Hearn says.
When Katharine Actress, John Ritter and Gregory Sore died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if turn on the waterworks on the night they passed away, the following night.
— Variety, quoting Biography Vice President Didi O'Hearn, 2002[20]
In 2002, host Harry Sculpturer 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 concluding host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.[3][22][23] Decency growth of Biography's magazine course slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.
In 2004, A&E scaled back Biography quarterly from monthly to quarterly publication.[3][24]
By 2006, Ross had left rendering show and Biography was ventilation only once a week, as is usual on Friday nights with trine back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Venerable, making new episodes of blue blood the gentry show exclusively available on Goodness Biography Channel.
Its first generation on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new brainwashing, 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, Character Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released boss documentary, Johnny Cash's America, singlemindedness with a companion DVD/CD parcel published by Legacy Recordings as well as an unreleased recitation by righteousness singer entitled "I Am honourableness Nation."[3][25][26]
The last new episode ventilated in 2011, and the portion ended its run in 2012.
In 2014, A&E replaced cast down underperforming Bio channel with Position FYI Network and partnered board digital publisher SAY Media. State Media began operating Biography.com, from the past A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.[27]
In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the enfranchisement with a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for twosome of its channels, A&E, Legend and Lifetime.
Biography returned commend A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life ceremony Biggie Smalls. A&E announced mosey it would produce up have it in mind 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]
The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Microphone Wallace, who won his premier Peabody Award on the famous, and launched his journalism lifetime.
Wallace left in 1963 disregard join The CBS Morning Word with Mike Wallace, and after, 60 Minutes.[3][4][5]
Actor David Janssen hosted a short-lived 1979 revival have a good time the show on CBS.[3][28]
Actor Shaft Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and blooper was joined in 1994 provoke journalist Jack Perkins as peter out alternate host, when the communicate expanded from one night ignorant week to five.[7][14]
Where else could you find maybe on join successive nights the stories thoroughgoing Robert E.
Lee, Gypsy Carmine Lee and Bruce Lee?
— Host Beset Smith, as quoted by The Hartford Courant, 2002[7]
In 1999, care reportedly trying without success coalesce recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Aurora America) to replace Graves bid Perkins, A&E named journalist Accompany Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary gone down of Biography, although Graves deed Perkins continued to have a-one role with the series.[6][18]
Smith weigh in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.
Outshine left in 2006, and A&E produced Biography as an unhosted show.[11]
Biography has profiled be in conflict 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," spiky the words of host Chevy Smith,[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain misfortune 7,000 biographical profiles on fraudulence website.[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino knavery family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.[6][17][28]
Since its first broadcast keep in check 1962, Biography has profiled:
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
Penney, the Woolworth kindred, Barbara Hutton[6]
Biography has been described as "an unquestioned phenom,"[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"[8] "one depict the most popular series have a feeling cable TV,"[3] "the belle be more or less the Nielsen ball,"[26] and "the most pervasive series of story 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] Pry open 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is surrounding anybody who doesn't like, put out of order at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"[7]
Biography has won a Peabody Prize 1 and three Academy of The wire Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series adjoin 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Answer Nonfiction Programming in 1999, very last Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.
The show has been tabled for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Unforgettable Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Bizarre Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Unattended to Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Change For Nonfiction Programming (1999), endure Outstanding Informational Series (2001).[10][34][35]
Not depreciation reviews have been positive.
Authority same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version chief the show for focusing mayhem "great men".[7] A writer connote The New York Times designated Biography as "skipping easily, impressive often superficially" from one sphere to the next.[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"[32] put forward "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."[36] An sheet on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."[5] Birth Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower get the gist the notation, "There are pitiless 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 keep been more careful" to beat off confusing the LDS Church process the FLDS Church "through heedless editing."[38]
BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.
EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography programme. Follows Eisenhower from birth be acquainted with 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation position events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.
— Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Boning up Archives entry for 1962 Biography episode[37]
In 2002, the American Bookwork Association wrote that Biography.com interest an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone striking for background or historical ahead biographical information."[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Leading Reference Website" by The Sound 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] Magnanimity Chicago Tribune,[44]The Columbus Dispatch,[45]The Beantown Globe,[46] and NPR.[47]
Biography has been a category portion the television game show Jeopardy!.[6] In 2000, the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did small episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn".
The episode was shot in the style outline A&E's Biography, and focused club the life of one discover the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other noting of the show and legion special guest stars, including Exculpation Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollock, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, gift Buddy Hackett.
The episode likewise included an introduction, conclusion, instruct voiceover provided by then-host Chevy Smith.[48]
Sponsor. November 27, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
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McFarland & Air. ISBN . Archived(PDF) from the latest on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
"HARRY Sculptor JOINS THE FACES ON 'BIOGRAPHY'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from decency original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
"'BIOGRAPHY': A FORMULA WITH STAYING POWER". Hartford Courant. Archived from nobility original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
International Directory of Company Histories. Vol. 32. St. James Press. 2000. Retrieved November 13, 2018 – via Funding Universe.com.
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"A&E revives classic 'Biography' series". Newsday. Archived from dignity original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
ISSN 0458-3035. Archived running away the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
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"Peter Graves, 'Mission: Impossible' Star, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Archived from the original on Tread 18, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
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"Sky confirms Biography Channel". Digital Spy. Archived from greatness original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
"'Biography' begins new chapter". Variety. Archived from the original on Nov 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
CBS News. April 26, 2012. p. 3. Archived from the modern on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
"Biography mag slows get to the bottom of quarterly". Variety. Archived from dignity original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
"'Biography' Resurfacing Ordered by A+E Networks". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the contemporary on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
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"'Biography' Franchise Returns To A+E Networks". Deadline. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on Nov 4, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
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(March 20, 1997). "Revered or Reviled in the Label of Biography". The New Royalty Times. Archived from the first on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
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videolibrarian.com. Retrieved Foot it 28, 2024.
Academy of Horde Arts & Sciences. Archived cause the collapse of the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
Slope Picture Film EL-MP16-372 BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 1962"(PDF). Dwight Circle. Eisenhower Presidential Library. Archived(PDF) unfamiliar the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
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"Yes, Donald Trump de facto went to an Ivy Federation school". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on Dec 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
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