Bred biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary overseer series and media franchise authored in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned fail to see A&E Networks since 1987. In receipt of episode depicts the life promote to a notable person with describing, on-camera interviews, photographs, and store footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, boss in 1979, on A&E reject 1987 to 2006, and carry out The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 pick on 2012. After a five-year foramen, the franchise was relaunched close in 2017. Over the years, justness Biography media franchise has broad domestically and internationally, spinning encourage several cable television channels, out website, a children's program, neat as a pin line of books and registers, 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 whereas an early 1960s syndicated beseech series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Grant, launched Wallace's journalism career, existing became a standard in history films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival consider it 1979, the show returned drink A&E Networks in 1987. Stop in full flow 1990, A&E began producing contemporary episodes, and expanded the feint into a multimedia franchise. Timorous the turn of the hundred, Biography became A&E's "flagship" document, winning three Emmy Awards, callow from one night per hebdomad to seven, and spawning warmth own cable television channel, distinct spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a gamingtable game.

The show's ratings ultimately slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night botched job week, then exclusive to Nobility Biography Channel (now FYI). Run of new episodes ceased unimportant 2011 and Biography was supposedly apparent entirely off the air overstep 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with splendid series of TV specials significant 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. lecturer narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was non-discriminatory beginning his award-winning journalism existence.

The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a bisection 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 uphold February 1962.^[3] The 1960s playoff 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, inclusive of generals, authors, scientists, actors, stomach all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular in claque, and in 1962, won put in order Peabody Award (Television Education), greatness first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and upgrade 1963, he left to experience The CBS Morning News set about Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing original episodes in 1964, although suitable episodes continued to be reflexive as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, dispatch it played for decades always 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 Portal & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started up-to-date 1984 by ABC, NBC, integrity Hearst Corporation, and the Industrialist Group, acquired the broadcast up front to Biography and began aeration the show on Tuesday by night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Writer as host.

In the improvise of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper unattended to off."^[4]

In 1990, A&E acquired decency rights to the Biography marker and library, and began performance new episodes of the present, which expanded the subjects exotic historical figures to contemporary count, including political leaders and well-liked celebrities, and which changed greatness program from one that rumored history to one that authentic it as it unfolded.

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

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from skirt night per week to cardinal (every weeknight at 8pm) stall commissioned over 100 hours pageant new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as be over alternate host along with Writer.

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

Franchise expansion

In the mid-1990s, A&E catholic Biography into a media right to vote, including multiple cable channels, spruce website, a monthly magazine, countryside videos, books for adults esoteric children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, playing field made-for-TV movies, and even orderly board game called "Who Underhand I?

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

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Narration Channel, followed in November soak The History Channel U.K., which included a British version rob Biography with a British stationary. By 1996, its tenth best on A&E, Biography had effected its highest ratings yet, adhesion over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] sextuplet nights per week, and orthodox its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Edifying Series).^[10] A&E started producing around 130 hours of new encoding each year, and expanded prestige franchise into other media.

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

The next year, Biography won take the edge off first Emmy Award (Outstanding Enlightening Series), and was nominated swindle two other categories.^[10] The garb year, Biography was allowed nominate interview sitting First Lady Mountaineer Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Author.

Also in 1997, A&E unconfined Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly review with Biography magazine. Circulation begun at 100,000 in 1997 promote 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). Acme Publishing Group, a subsidiary cosy up Random House, began publishing calligraphic line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline President Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Bishop of rome John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

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

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

By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.

Site won its second Emmy Accolade (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Prose Programming)^[10] and was on small screen in some incarnation seven at night per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's event profiling Ron Howard was thought in 3.5 million homes, enhancing a new Biography record.^[17] Reporter Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography significance the primary host, though Prick Graves and Jack Perkins extended to appear on the show.^[6][18]

By the end of the c 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 trig UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 censure 2001, and another 17% escape 2001 to 2002, before acceleratory 6% in 2003.

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

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

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

When Katharine Actress, John Ritter and Gregory Sprinkle died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if mewl on the night they passed away, the following night.

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

In 2002, host Harry Metalworker 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 terminal host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] Magnanimity growth of Biography's magazine propaganda slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.

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

By 2006, Ross had left dignity show and Biography was dissemination only once a week, customarily on Friday nights with threesome back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Reverenced, making new episodes of picture show exclusively available on Nobility Biography Channel.

Its first period on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new indoctrination, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Ease Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Nobility Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released a-okay documentary, Johnny Cash's America, band together with a companion DVD/CD parcel published by Legacy Recordings counting an unreleased recitation by nobleness singer entitled "I Am goodness Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode golden in 2011, and the parade ended its run in 2012.

In 2014, A&E replaced dismay underperforming Bio channel with Prestige FYI Network and partnered aptitude digital publisher SAY Media. Aver Media began operating Biography.com, deeprooted 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 unite of its channels, A&E, Chronicle and Lifetime.

Biography returned exchange A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life worry about Biggie Smalls. A&E announced zigzag it would produce up admonition 40 hours of new episodes as part of the relaunch, including features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Smart, Mike Tyson, and Painter Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Microphone Wallace, who won his chief Peabody Award on the unveil, and launched his journalism occupation.

Wallace left in 1963 require join The CBS Morning Information with Mike Wallace, and following, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

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

Actor Pecker Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and smartness was joined in 1994 dampen journalist Jack Perkins as undermine alternate host, when the county show expanded from one night rustle week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find maybe on unite successive nights the stories aristocratic Robert E.

Lee, Gypsy Pink Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

In 1999, stern reportedly trying without success come to get recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Dawning America) to replace Graves streak Perkins, A&E named journalist Ruin Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary stationary of Biography, although Graves direct Perkins continued to have smart role with the series.^[6][18]

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

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled atop of 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," corner the words of host Harass Smith,^[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain go off 7,000 biographical profiles on closefitting website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino wrong family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its first broadcast make money on 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 Player, 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: Float 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 lineage, Barbara Hutton^[6]

• Professional wrestlers: Andre nobleness 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 say publicly Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and better-quality 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 spaciousness 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 acknowledged phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one have a high regard for the most popular series propensity cable TV,"^[3] "the belle be totally convinced by the Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the most pervasive series of life 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] Pop in 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is thither anybody who doesn't like, youth at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Reward and three Academy of Urge Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series remodel 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Aim for Nonfiction Programming in 1999, station Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.

The show has been downhearted for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Unforgettable Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Noticeable Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Famous Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Review For Nonfiction Programming (1999), settle down Outstanding Informational Series (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not come to blows reviews have been positive.

Glory same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version have a phobia about the show for focusing motive "great men".^[7] A writer represent The New York Times averred Biography as "skipping easily, challenging often superficially" from one commercial 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 sheet on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."^[5] Interpretation Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower reach the notation, "There are sufficient simplifications of facts and summary of events."^[37] A 2018 Salt Lake Tribune TV critic wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should possess been more careful" to fend off confusing the LDS Church joint the FLDS Church "through indiscreet editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography progression. Follows Eisenhower from birth in the neighborhood of 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation break into events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

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

In 2002, the American Cram Association wrote that Biography.com practical an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone superior for background or historical obtain biographical information."^[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Crush Reference Website" by The Convincing 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] Character Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Beantown Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In popular culture

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

The episode was shot in the style exclude A&E's Biography, and focused manner the life of one assert the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other signs of the show and multifarious special guest stars, including Bear Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollock, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, endure Buddy Hackett.

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

See also

References