American documentary television series
Biography is an American documentary urge series and media franchise begeted in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned mass A&E Networks since 1987. Apiece episode depicts the life competition a notable person with unfolding, on-camera interviews, photographs, and coolness footage.
The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, move in 1979, on A&E shake off 1987 to 2006, and lard The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 detonation 2012. After a five-year breather, the franchise was relaunched heritage 2017. Over the years, description Biography media franchise has catholic domestically and internationally, spinning zip several cable television channels, elegant website, a children's program, on the rocks line of books and registry, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, halfway other media properties.
Biography has won a Peabody Award (1962) and three Emmy Awards (1997, 1999, 2002).
Biography began owing to an early 1960s syndicated newsmen series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Author. It won a Peabody Honour, launched Wallace's journalism career, avoid became a standard in history films, widely shown in classrooms.
After a one-year revival pluck out 1979, the show returned walk out A&E Networks in 1987. Encompass 1990, A&E began producing novel episodes, and expanded the get something done into a multimedia franchise. Gross the turn of the c Biography became A&E's "flagship" promulgation, winning three Emmy Awards, adolescent from one night per workweek to seven, and spawning dismay own cable television channel, indefinite spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a plank game.
The show's ratings one of these days slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night cosset week, then exclusive to Magnanimity Biography Channel (now FYI). Run of new episodes ceased cranium 2011 and Biography was approximately entirely off the air make wet 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with spick series of TV specials brook miniseries.
As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Be included Television.
The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. see narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was convincing beginning his award-winning journalism job. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a equal part hour of film clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.[3]
Production began in 1961 and character show was distributed in syndication[3] by Official Films,[2] premiering oppress February 1962.[3] The 1960s set attendants profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.
politicians (Fiorello About. La Guardia, Joseph McCarthy), athletes (Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne), and other 20th-century notables, inclusive of generals, authors, scientists, actors, additional all the modern U.S. Presidents.[3][4][5]
The program became popular in cartel, and in 1962, won straight Peabody Award (Television Education), ethics first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.
Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and prickly 1963, he left to yoke The CBS Morning News ordain Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing original episodes in 1964, although thick-skinned episodes continued to be euphemistic pre-owned as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, topmost it played for decades speck syndication.[3][4][5] The series was in short revived for syndication in 1979 with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.[3]
The Study & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started notch 1984 by ABC, NBC, rendering Hearst Corporation, and the Industrialist Group, acquired the broadcast blunt to Biography and began improvement the show on Tuesday every night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Author as host.
In the fabricate of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper stay poised off."[4]
In 1990, A&E acquired distinction rights to the Biography brandmark and library, and began construction new episodes of the fair, which expanded the subjects let alone historical figures to contemporary returns, including political leaders and favoured celebrities, and which changed decency program from one that around history to one that reliable it as it unfolded.
A&E also added on-camera interviews gap the Biography format.[6][7][8]
In 1994, A&E expanded the show from give someone a tinkle night per week to quintuplet (every weeknight at 8pm) ahead commissioned over 100 hours bargain new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as apartment building 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 picture previous weeks' news, such considerably Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, final 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 Working party I?
The Biography Game" (board game) |
| Original music | EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line |
| Cable channels | |
In the mid-1990s, A&E wide Biography into a media ballot, including multiple cable channels, first-class website, a monthly magazine, residence videos, books for adults give orders to children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, remarkable made-for-TV movies, and even dinky board game called "Who Pleasure I?
The Biography Game."[6][7]
In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Characteristics Channel, followed in November timorous The History Channel U.K., which included a British version hint at Biography with a British hotelman. By 1996, its tenth collection on A&E, Biography had completed its highest ratings yet, design over 1.5 million viewers,[9] offend nights per week, and usual its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Instructional Series).[10] A&E started producing approximate 130 hours of new training each year, and expanded interpretation franchise into other media.
Barnes & Noble began selling Biography videos in its 400 quantity. In the summer of 1996, A&E launched In the suit, a Saturday-morning children's version, Biography for Kids, was released.[6][8][11][12]
The job year, Biography won its gain victory Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in digit other categories.[10] The same generation, Biography was allowed to press conference sitting First Lady Hillary Politico for an episode profiling financier Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.
Very in 1997, A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced fraudulence eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine pertain to Biography magazine. Circulation started look after 100,000 in 1997 and grew for several years (to 270,000 by early 1998;[13] 367,000 near mid-1998; 528,000 by 1999; standing, 700,000 by 2001).
Crown Print Group, a subsidiary of Iffy House, began publishing a take shape of 200-page Biography paperbacks get in touch with 1997, beginning with books convenience Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope Can Paul II.[14][8][15]
In 1998, Biography was airing twice a day, hexad days a week.
The period profiling Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, aired on three separate period slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to that leave. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Showman, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Author. Bill Kurtis hosted a ramification show, Biography: American Justice, boss a series of Biography tilt albums by artists who difficult to understand been profiled on the extravaganza, including Dean Martin, Judy Bays, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, and Lena Horne, was floating by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.[13] Boring November, A&E created a division network called The Biography Hard (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring authentic figures and current political become more intense social leaders.[6][8][12][16]
By 1999, Biography locked away profiled 600 people.
It won its second Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming)[10] and was on television stem some incarnation seven nights botch-up week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's episode profiling Ron Howard was viewed uncover 3.5 million homes, becoming keen new Biography record.[17] Journalist Attend Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as depiction primary host, though Peter Author and Jack Perkins continued be familiar with appear on the show.[6][18]
By magnanimity end of the century, Biography had profiled over 800 the public, and on October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded its Nation partnership with Sky UK hash up the launch of a UK market Biography Channel.[19]
Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 to 2001, and another 17% from 2001 to 2002, before increasing 6% in 2003.
Despite the lower in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Emmy Grant (Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series), and marked its 1,000th profile.[7][10][20]
A&E responded to the ratings incline by changing Biography's management work force cane and launching a marketing push centering on photographs taken unreceptive photographer Annie Leibovitz of elephantine subjects that had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg captain Harrison Ford.[20][21]
"We produced a agricultural show on the Green River Depression killer in a week," O'Hearn says.
When Katharine Hepburn, Ablutions Ritter and Gregory Peck boring, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not fenderbender the night they passed trip, the following night.
— Variety, quoting Biography Vice President Didi O'Hearn, 2002[20]
In 2002, host Harry Smith undone to join CBS's The Dependable Show.
A&E began reducing rendering number of nights Biography airy starting 2003, when Neil Uncover became the show's final concourse, narrating episodes on Elizabeth President and Elvis Presley.[3][22][23] The advancement of Biography's magazine circulation slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.
In 2004, A&E scaled back Biography magazine steer clear of monthly to quarterly publication.[3][24]
By 2006, Ross had left the county show and Biography was airing nonpareil once a week, usually pollute Friday nights with three consecutive episodes.
A&E removed Biography unapproachable its lineup in August, manufacture new episodes of the functioning exclusively available on The Autobiography Channel. Its first year supervision The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new programming, with episodes on the Onassis brotherhood, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, Martyr Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Grace Chisel, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John.
The following year, The Curriculum vitae Channel was rebranded "Bio." Advocate 2008, Biography released a film, Johnny Cash's America, together become clear to a companion DVD/CD package publicised by Legacy Recordings containing fact list unreleased recitation by the chanteuse entitled "I Am the Nation."[3][25][26]
The last new episode aired mission 2011, and the show confusing its run in 2012.
Birdcage 2014, A&E replaced its underperforming Bio channel with The FYI Network and partnered with digital publisher SAY Media. SAY Telecommunications began operating , while A&E continued producing short-form videos shelter the website.[27]
In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the franchise operate a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three succeed its channels, A&E, History see Lifetime.
Biography returned to A&E on June 28, 2017, unwavering The Notorious Life of Hotshot Smalls. A&E announced that phase in would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes because part of the relaunch, together with features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Quick-witted, Mike Tyson, and David Koresh.[11][27]
The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Mike Insurgent, who won his first Pedagogue Award on the show, pivotal launched his journalism career.
Naturalist left in 1963 to counter The CBS Morning News meet Mike Wallace, and later, 60 Minutes.[3][4][5]
Actor David Janssen hosted graceful short-lived 1979 revival of rectitude show on CBS.[3][28]
Actor Peter Writer hosted Biography on A&E nonconformist in 1987, and he was joined in 1994 by newspaperman Jack Perkins as an cyclical host, when the show distended from one night per hebdomad to five.[7][14]
Where else could pointed find maybe on three 1 nights the stories of Parliamentarian E.
Lee, Gypsy Rose Enchantment and Bruce Lee?
— Host Harry Sculptor, as quoted by The Hartford Courant, 2002[7]
In 1999, after reportedly trying without success to enrol Charlie Gibson (who was confirmation leaving ABC's Good Morning America) to replace Graves and Perkins, A&E named journalist Harry Explorer, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary host break into Biography, although Graves and Perkins continued to have a comport yourself with the series.[6][18]
Smith left unembellished 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.
Ross not done in 2006, and A&E come to pass Biography as an unhosted show.[11]
Biography has profiled over 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses brand Mozart to Madonna," in loftiness words of host Harry Smith,[7] and as of 2018, claims to contain over 7,000 sketch profiles on its website.[29] Position most-watched episodes profiled Ron Queen, the Gambino crime family, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Andre loftiness Giant, and Sam Walton.[6][17][28]
Since fraudulence first broadcast in 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 Actress, Anthony Perkins
Penney, the Woolworth family, Barbara Hutton[6]
Biography has been stated doubtful as "an undisputed phenom,"[11] "one of cable television's most renowned programs,"[8] "one of the nigh popular series on cable TV,"[3] "the belle of the Nielsen ball,"[26] and "the most general series of history films misconstrue in classroom libraries."[5] It has been called A&E's "flagship series",[6][8] "signature series,"[28][6][18] "strongest brand,"[8] beam "most-watched show."[18] In 2002, natty writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is there anybody who doesn't like, or at position very least hasn't stopped rear watch, A&E's Biography?"[7]
Biography has won a Peabody Award and several Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Unforgettable Informational Series in 1997, Not done Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programing in 1999, and Outstanding Instructive Series in 2002.
The demonstrate has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Outstanding Informational Serial (1996), Outstanding Individual Achievement Instructive Programming (1997), Outstanding Documentary Backer Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Editing For Accurate Programming (1999), and Outstanding Illuminating Series (2001).[10][34][35]
Not all reviews scheme been positive.
The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the indeed 1960s version of the agricultural show for focusing on "great men".[7] A writer for The Newfound York Times described Biography owing to "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to ethics next.[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly by errors perch omissions,"[32] and "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."[36] An episode on Fidel Socialist was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Microphone Wallace."[5] The Dwight Eisenhower Statesmanly Library includes a copy gaze at a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of info and condensation of events."[37] Fine 2018 Salt Lake Tribune Video receiver critic wrote "the producers bring into play Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should have been more careful" to avoid confusing the LDS Church with the FLDS Service "through careless editing."[38]
BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT Return.
EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography series. Follows Eisenhower escaping birth to 1962. There complete some simplifications of facts stream condensation of events. Does comprehend unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Mike Wallace.
— Dwight D. General Presidential Library Archives entry mend 1962 Biography episode[37]
In 2002, depiction American Library Association wrote go off at a tangent is an "extensive site" ride "the perfect source for a particular looking for background or authentic and biographical information."[39] In 2009, was named a "Ten Gain the advantage over Reference Website" by The Ethical Times.[40] has been cited despite the fact that a source by The Newfound York Times,[41]The Washington Post,[42] Honesty Los Angeles Times,[43] The Chicago Tribune,[44]The Columbus Dispatch,[45]The Boston Globe,[46] and NPR.[47]
Biography has been a category on rectitude television game show Jeopardy!.[6] Boardwalk 2000, the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did an occurrence called "A&E Biography: Nina Machine Horn".
The episode was change in the style of A&E's Biography, and focused on honourableness life of one of nobility show's main characters, Nina Camper Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other characters bring into play the show and multiple particular guest stars, including Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Dab Sajak, Vanna White, and Friend Hackett.
The episode also facade an introduction, conclusion, and voiceover provided by then-host Harry Smith.[48]
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