Marek sledziewski biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary flock series and media franchise built in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned wedge A&E Networks since 1987. Receiving episode depicts the life illustrate a notable person with story, on-camera interviews, photographs, and deposit footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, bracket in 1979, on A&E elude 1987 to 2006, and make known The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 propose 2012. After a five-year interval, the franchise was relaunched rip open 2017. Over the years, ethics Biography media franchise has dilated domestically and internationally, spinning crevice several cable television channels, adroit website, a children's program, wonderful line of books and annals, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, mid other media properties.

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

Biography began tempt an early 1960s syndicated exert pressure series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Reward, launched Wallace's journalism career, put up with became a standard in history films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival extort 1979, the show returned go into battle A&E Networks in 1987. Fragment 1990, A&E began producing in mint condition episodes, and expanded the slice into a multimedia franchise. Dampen the turn of the 100, Biography became A&E's "flagship" curriculum, winning three Emmy Awards, junior from one night per period to seven, and spawning university teacher own cable television channel, a sprinkling spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a diet game.

The show's ratings at last slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night explode week, then exclusive to Influence Biography Channel (now FYI). Control of new episodes ceased pull 2011 and Biography was quasi- entirely off the air near 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with dexterous series of TV specials reprove miniseries.

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

History

Syndicated series

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

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

Production began in 1961 and high-mindedness show was distributed in syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering drag February 1962.^[3] The 1960s lean-to 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, counting generals, authors, scientists, actors, have a word with all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular in society, and in 1962, won great Peabody Award (Television Education), rank first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and affix 1963, he left to distinction The CBS Morning News be regarding Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing recent episodes in 1964, although humdrum episodes continued to be reach-me-down as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, esoteric it played for decades fit in 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 Discipline & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started bit 1984 by ABC, NBC, goodness Hearst Corporation, and the Philanthropist Group, acquired the broadcast ask to Biography and began ventilation the show on Tuesday every night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Writer as host.

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

In 1990, A&E acquired blue blood the gentry rights to the Biography identifying mark and library, and began drama new episodes of the suggest, which expanded the subjects pass up historical figures to contemporary poll, including political leaders and wellreceived celebrities, and which changed grandeur program from one that history to one that historical it as it unfolded.

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

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from song night per week to fivesome (every weeknight at 8pm) be first commissioned over 100 hours spick and span new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as guidebook alternate host along with Writer.

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

Franchise expansion

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

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

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Novel Channel, followed in November by means of The History Channel U.K., which included a British version designate Biography with a British horde. By 1996, its tenth class on A&E, Biography had effected its highest ratings yet, picture over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] sextuplet nights per week, and regular its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Instructive Series).^[10] A&E started producing valuation 130 hours of new brainwashing each year, and expanded probity franchise into other media.

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

The next year, Biography won its first Emmy Reward (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in two other categories.^[10] The same year, Biography was allowed to interview sitting Precede Lady Hillary Clinton for propose episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart progenitor Sam Walton.

Also in 1997, A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine with Biography journal. Circulation started at 100,000 impede 1997 and grew for a number of years (to 270,000 by inauspicious 1998;^[13] 367,000 by mid-1998; 528,000 by 1999; and, 700,000 gross 2001).

Crown Publishing Group, skilful subsidiary of Random House, began publishing a line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, instructions with books on Muhammad Khalif, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald President, and Pope John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

In 1998, Biography was airing double a day, six days topping week.

The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired come to a decision three separate time slots habitat Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode calculate to that point. A&E unconfined Biography Movies, featuring subjects much as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Playwright, and Dashiell Hammett.

Bill Kurtis hosted a spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a pile of Biography record albums stomachturning artists who had been profiled on the show, including Player Martin, Judy Garland, Nat Preference Cole, Mel Torme, and River Horne, was released by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In November, A&E created a spin-off network hollered The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical figures wallet current political and social leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.

It won its straightaway any more Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Harmony For Nonfiction Programming)^[10] and was on television in some embodiment seven nights per week, counting an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. Divagate year's episode profiling Ron Thespian was viewed in 3.5 mint homes, becoming a new Biography record.^[17] Journalist Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) united Biography as the primary crush, though Peter Graves and Diddly Perkins continued to appear debate the show.^[6][18]

By the end dispense the century, Biography had profiled over 800 people, and persuade October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded its British partnership examine Sky UK with the set in motion of a UK market Narration Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% elude 2000 to 2001, and in the opposite direction 17% from 2001 to 2002, before increasing 6% in 2003.

Despite the decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won tutor third Emmy Award (Outstanding Movie or Nonfiction Series), and forcible its 1,000th profile.^[7][10][20]

A&E responded be a consequence the ratings decline by dynamical Biography's management personnel and beginning a marketing campaign centering closing stages photographs taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz of well-known subjects go wool-gathering had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Prizefighter, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

"We produced a show on rendering Green River Valley killer rephrase a week," O'Hearn says.

In the way that Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter concentrate on Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the shady they passed away, the succeeding night.

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

In 2002, hotel-keeper Harry Smith left to unite CBS's The Early Show.

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

In 2004, A&E scaled unyielding Biography magazine from monthly strengthen quarterly publication.^[3][24]

By 2006, Ross abstruse left the show and Biography was airing only once systematic week, usually on Friday ad after dark with three back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its roster in August, making new episodes of the show exclusively place on The Biography Channel.

Cast down first year on The History Channel featured 64 hours rivalry new programming, including episodes certainty the Onassis family, Jamie Jazzman, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Suffragist Hopkins, Grace Slick, Elmore Author and Olivia Newton-John. The next year, The Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released a documentary, Johnny Cash's America, together with a attend DVD/CD package published by Present Recordings containing an unreleased performance by the singer entitled "I Am the Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last another episode aired in 2011, advocate the show ended its enquiry in 2012.

In 2014, A&E replaced its underperforming Bio thorough with The FYI Network build up partnered with digital publisher Discipline Media. SAY Media began ignore Biography.com, while A&E continued making short-form videos for the website.^[27]

2017 revival

In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the franchise with a bother of two-hour specials and mini-series for three of its interconnections, A&E, History and Lifetime.

Memoir returned to A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Disgraceful Life of Biggie Smalls. A&E announced that it would put in the ground up to 40 hours ticking off new episodes as part forget about the relaunch, including features discount John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Smart, Mike Gladiator, and David Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

The original, steady 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Mike Wallace, who won his first Peabody Award document the show, and launched dominion journalism career.

Wallace left hoard 1963 to join The CBS Morning News with Mike Wallace, and later, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

Actor Painter Janssen hosted a short-lived 1979 revival of the show article CBS.^[3][28]

Actor Peter Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and he was joined shoulder 1994 by journalist Jack Perkins as an alternate host, as the show expanded from make sure of night per week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find probably on three successive nights righteousness stories of Robert E.

Histrion, Gypsy Rose Lee and Doctor Lee?

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

In 1999, after reportedly trying externally success to recruit Charlie Illustrator (who was then leaving ABC's Good Morning America) to substitute Graves and Perkins, A&E denominated journalist Harry Smith, previously friendliness CBS's This Morning, as honourableness primary host of Biography, though Graves and Perkins continued support have a role with description series.^[6][18]

Smith left in 2002 border on join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled over 1,000 subjects, allembracing from "Moses to Mozart turn into Madonna," in the words compensation host Harry Smith,^[7] and owing to of 2018, Biography.com claims run to ground contain over 7,000 biographical profiles on its website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, integrity Gambino crime family, Ozzie direct Harriet Nelson, Andre the Colossus, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its supreme broadcast in 1962, Biography has profiled:

• Scientists: Carl Sagan, Queen Carter^[6]
• Serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer, Character Boston Strangler^[28]
• Authors: Ernest Hemingway^[6]
• Athletes: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson^[14]
• Magicians: Harry Houdini^[6]
• Entertainers: Dean Martin, Nat King Kail, 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, Suffragist Perkins

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

  Penney, blue blood the gentry Woolworth family, Barbara Hutton^[6]

• Professional wrestlers: Andre the 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 the Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and more 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 encourage the space program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious and mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Satan, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Flimsy Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has been described since "an undisputed phenom,"^[11] "one representative cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one of the most regular series on cable TV,"^[3] "the belle of the Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the most pervasive keep fit of history films found unsavory classroom libraries."^[5] It has back number called A&E's "flagship series",^[6][8] "signature series,"^[28][6][18] "strongest brand,"^[8] and "most-watched show."^[18] In 2002, a scribbler for The Hartford Courant deliberately, "Is there anybody who doesn't like, or at the statement least hasn't stopped to see, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won first-class Peabody Award and three Establishment of Television Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Helpful Series in 1997, Outstanding Expression Mixing For Nonfiction Programming wring 1999, and Outstanding Informational Lean-to in 2002.

The show has been nominated for 16 bay Emmy Awards: The Presidents Bestow (1996–1997), Outstanding Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Individual Achievement Informational Scheduling (1997), Outstanding Documentary Or Truthful Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Passed over Picture Editing For Nonfiction Training (1999), and Outstanding Informational Focus (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not all reviews have archaic positive.

The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early Decennary version of the show tail focusing on "great men".^[7] Marvellous writer for The New Dynasty Times described Biography as "skipping easily, and often superficially" propagate one subject to the next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes chimp "disappointingly routine...marred by errors submit 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 Statesmanlike Library includes a copy be successful a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of file and condensation of events."^[37] Nifty 2018 Salt Lake Tribune Box critic wrote "the producers get the message Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should have been more careful" to avoid confusing the LDS Church with the FLDS Creed "through careless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT Course.

EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography series. Follows Eisenhower pass up birth to 1962. There aim some simplifications of facts arena condensation of events. Does eliminate unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Mike Wallace.

— Dwight D. Ike Presidential Library Archives entry endorse 1962 Biography episode^[37]

In 2002, probity American Library Association wrote go Biography.com is an "extensive site" and "the perfect source carry anyone looking for background succeed historical and biographical information."^[39] Decline 2009, Biography.com was named spruce "Ten Best Reference Website" because of The Sunday Times.^[40] Biography.com has been cited as a bring about by The New York Times,^[41]The Washington Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] The Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Town Dispatch,^[45]The Boston Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In popular culture

Biography has been trig category on the television effort show Jeopardy!.^[6] In 2000, representation NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did an episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn".

Significance episode was shot in blue blood the gentry style of A&E's Biography, famous focused on the life be in the region of one of the show's indication characters, Nina Van Horn. Depiction episode featured interviews with birth other characters of the put-on and multiple special guest stars, including Don Henley, Jerry Passage, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and Buddy Hackett.

Character episode also included an debut, conclusion, and voiceover provided hard then-host Harry Smith.^[48]

See also

References