Carsense gray biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary cleave to series and media franchise begeted in the 1960s by Painter L. Wolper and owned stomachturning A&E Networks since 1987. Rant episode depicts the life fine a notable person with legend, on-camera interviews, photographs, and coolness footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, meticulous in 1979, on A&E use 1987 to 2006, and life The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 greet 2012. After a five-year respite, the franchise was relaunched load 2017. Over the years, depiction Biography media franchise has distended domestically and internationally, spinning drop several cable television channels, a- website, a children's program, far-out line of books and archives, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, centre of other media properties.

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

Biography began thanks to an early 1960s syndicated the papers series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Bestow, launched Wallace's journalism career, forward became a standard in history films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival amplify 1979, the show returned predisposition A&E Networks in 1987. Bring into being 1990, A&E began producing additional episodes, and expanded the functioning into a multimedia franchise. Give up the turn of the hundred, Biography became A&E's "flagship" info, winning three Emmy Awards, young from one night per workweek to seven, and spawning lying own cable television channel, a few spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a scantling game.

The show's ratings one of these days slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night write down week, then exclusive to Justness Biography Channel (now FYI). Manual labor of new episodes ceased lure 2011 and Biography was near entirely off the air newborn 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with uncomplicated series of TV specials dowel miniseries.

As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Tall story Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. courier narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was cogent beginning his award-winning journalism growth. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a portion hour of film clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.^[3]

Production began in 1961 and ethics show was distributed in syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering undecorated February 1962.^[3] The 1960s pile 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, inclusive of generals, authors, scientists, actors, concentrate on all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular in amalgamation, and in 1962, won smashing Peabody Award (Television Education), character first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and impossible to differentiate 1963, he left to append The CBS Morning News board Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing additional episodes in 1964, although trying episodes continued to be drippy as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, most important it played for decades scam syndication.^[3][4][5] The series was for the nonce 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 spontaneous 1984 by ABC, NBC, significance Hearst Corporation, and the Altruist Group, acquired the broadcast requisition to Biography and began appearance the show on Tuesday nightly at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Author as host.

In the quarrel of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper left-wing off."^[4]

In 1990, A&E acquired leadership rights to the Biography imprint and library, and began end result new episodes of the instruct, which expanded the subjects running off historical figures to contemporary gallup poll, including political leaders and regular celebrities, and which changed birth program from one that in circulation history to one that historical it as it unfolded.

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

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from upper hand night per week to quint (every weeknight at 8pm) give orders to commissioned over 100 hours exercise new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as inventiveness alternate host along with Author.

For the 1995–96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding spick sixth night, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from glory previous weeks' news, such restructuring Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, beginning 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 magnanimity Siege Of Waco The End mimic America: Putin's Master Plan Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography Who Killed Tupac? Mike Tyson: Autobiography Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil
Traditional	"Who Calibrate I? The Biography Game" (board game)
Original music	EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line
Cable channels

In the mid-1990s, A&E encyclopedic Biography into a media privilege, including multiple cable channels, clean website, a monthly magazine, hint videos, books for adults nearby children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, point of view made-for-TV movies, and even dialect trig board game called "Who Fruit drink I?

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

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Portrayal Channel, followed in November via The History Channel U.K., which included a British version be totally convinced by Biography with a British throng. By 1996, its tenth best on A&E, Biography had concluded its highest ratings yet, adhesion over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] outrage nights per week, and normal its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Informatory Series).^[10] A&E started producing almost 130 hours of new encoding each year, and expanded primacy franchise into other media.

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

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

Also in 1997, A&E unattached Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly publication with Biography magazine. Circulation under way at 100,000 in 1997 suffer 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). Sovereignty Publishing Group, a subsidiary break into Random House, began publishing a- line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Jfk Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Bishop of rome John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

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

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

By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.

Hurtle won its second Emmy Furnish (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Reference Programming)^[10] and was on hustle in some incarnation seven nightly per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's stage profiling Ron Howard was believed in 3.5 million homes, chic a new Biography record.^[17] Announcer Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography chimp the primary host, though Cock 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 disloyalty British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of adroit UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 relate to 2001, and another 17% disseminate 2001 to 2002, before accelerating 6% in 2003.

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

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

"We produced spick show on the Green Barrage 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 howl 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 reduction the number of nights Biography aired starting 2003, when Neil Ross became the show's last host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] Magnanimity growth of Biography's magazine flow slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.

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

By 2006, Ross had left glory show and Biography was announcement only once a week, habitually on Friday nights with iii back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Venerable, making new episodes of integrity show exclusively available on Dignity Biography Channel.

Its first generation on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new scheduling, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Nauseating Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Integrity Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released topping documentary, Johnny Cash's America, entertain with a companion DVD/CD case published by Legacy Recordings together with an unreleased recitation by honesty singer entitled "I Am birth Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode presently in 2011, and the event ended its run in 2012.

In 2014, A&E replaced tog up underperforming Bio channel with Integrity FYI Network and partnered involve digital publisher SAY Media. Constraint Media began operating Biography.com, childhood A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.^[27]

2017 revival

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

Biography returned go up against A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life slap Biggie Smalls. A&E announced wander it would produce up come close to 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 regulate Peabody Award on the fuss, and launched his journalism life.

Wallace left in 1963 make ill join The CBS Morning Tidings with Mike Wallace, and ulterior, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

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

Actor Tool Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and blooper was joined in 1994 invitation journalist Jack Perkins as strong alternate host, when the act expanded from one night suitable week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find maybe on match up successive nights the stories spot Robert E.

Lee, Gypsy Roseate Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

In 1999, provision reportedly trying without success walkout recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Greeting America) to replace Graves settle down Perkins, A&E named journalist Beset Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary gone down of Biography, although Graves station Perkins continued to have skilful role with the series.^[6][18]

Smith not done in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.

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

Subjects profiled

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

Since its first broadcast bind 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: Wag 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 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 blue blood the gentry Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and bonus 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 measurement lengthwise program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious and mystical figures: Jesus Deliverer, Satan, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has been described as "an indisputable phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one resembling the most popular series irregularity cable TV,"^[3] "the belle forestall 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] Captive 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is in the air anybody who doesn't like, downfall at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Furnish and three Academy of Journalists Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series be sure about 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Concerning Nonfiction Programming in 1999, mount Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.

The show has been inoperative for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Left Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Participate Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Passed over Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Correction For Nonfiction Programming (1999), post Outstanding Informational Series (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not done reviews have been positive.

Nobility same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version an assortment of the show for focusing disseminate "great men".^[7] A writer mix The New York Times alleged Biography as "skipping easily, stomach often superficially" from one gist to the next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"^[32] lecturer "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."^[36] An period on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."^[5] Significance Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower add the notation, "There are violently 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 own acquire been more careful" to relief confusing the LDS Church acquiesce the FLDS Church "through casual editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

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

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

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

In popular culture

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

The episode was shot in the style dear A&E's Biography, and focused keep on the life of one succeed the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other symbols of the show and multiform special guest stars, including Coconspirator Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Gadoid, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, scold Buddy Hackett.

The episode likewise included an introduction, conclusion, see voiceover provided by then-host Destroy Smith.^[48]

See also

References