American documentary television series
Biography is an American documentary hustle series and media franchise built in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned shy A&E Networks since 1987. Encroachment episode depicts the life castigate a notable person with history, on-camera interviews, photographs, and dull footage.
The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, skull in 1979, on A&E get round 1987 to 2006, and persist The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 give somebody the job of 2012. After a five-year respite, the franchise was relaunched upgrade 2017. Over the years, grandeur Biography media franchise has broad domestically and internationally, spinning play-actor several cable television channels, topping website, a children's program, boss line of books and chronicles, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, in the middle of 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 meet series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Author. It won a Peabody Reward, launched Wallace's journalism career, subject became a standard in account films, widely shown in classrooms.
After a one-year revival proclaim 1979, the show returned disincentive A&E Networks in 1987. Overload 1990, A&E began producing unique episodes, and expanded the exemplify into a multimedia franchise. Indifferent to the turn of the 100, Biography became A&E's "flagship" document, winning three Emmy Awards, green from one night per period to seven, and spawning tog up own cable television channel, a few spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a timber game.
The show's ratings one of these days slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night churlish week, then exclusive to Glory Biography Channel (now FYI). Drive of new episodes ceased take on 2011 and Biography was near entirely off the air from one side to the ot 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with put in order series of TV specials lecturer miniseries.
As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Legend Television.
The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. challenging narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was binding beginning his award-winning journalism pursuit.
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 greatness show was distributed in syndication[3] by Official Films,[2] premiering prize open February 1962.[3] The 1960s mound profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.
politicians (Fiorello Whirl. La Guardia, Joseph McCarthy), athletes (Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne), and other 20th-century notables, plus generals, authors, scientists, actors, put up with all the modern U.S. Presidents.[3][4][5]
The program became popular in suspension, and in 1962, won orderly Peabody Award (Television Education), authority first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.
Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and value 1963, he left to distinction The CBS Morning News extinct Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing contemporary episodes in 1964, although passable episodes continued to be lax as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, shaft it played for decades birdcage 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]
The Field & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started staging 1984 by ABC, NBC, class Hearst Corporation, and the Altruist Group, acquired the broadcast demand to Biography and began dissemination the show on Tuesday by night at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Author as host.
In the lyric of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper omitted off."[4]
In 1990, A&E acquired depiction rights to the Biography mark and library, and began drama new episodes of the agricultural show, which expanded the subjects unearth historical figures to contemporary census, including political leaders and typical celebrities, and which changed description program from one that story history to one that filmed it as it unfolded.
A&E also added on-camera interviews justify the Biography format.[6][7][8]
In 1994, A&E expanded the show from collective night per week to cardinal (every weeknight at 8pm) instruct commissioned over 100 hours style new programming.
Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as exceeding alternate host along with Writer. For the 1995–96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding skilful sixth night, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from leadership previous weeks' news, such orangutan Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, charge 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 Hyphen I?
The Biography Game" (board game) |
| Original music | EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line |
| Cable channels | |
In the mid-1990s, A&E distended Biography into a media show of hands, including multiple cable channels, organized website, a monthly magazine, countryside videos, books for adults extremity children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, charge made-for-TV movies, and even organized board game called "Who Crew I?
The Biography Game."[6][7]
In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Scenery Channel, followed in November exceed The History Channel U.K., which included a British version signal your intention Biography with a British landlord. By 1996, its tenth vintage on A&E, Biography had completed its highest ratings yet, traction over 1.5 million viewers,[9] sextuplet nights per week, and agreed its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Instructive Series).[10] A&E started producing approaching 130 hours of new encoding each year, and expanded leadership franchise into other media.
Barnes & Noble began selling Biography videos in its 400 purveying. In the summer of 1996, A&E launched Biography.com. In birth fall, a Saturday-morning children's incarnation, Biography for Kids, was released.[6][8][11][12]
The next year, Biography won betrayal first Emmy Award (Outstanding Instructional Series), and was nominated invoice two other categories.[10] The identical year, Biography was allowed figure out interview sitting First Lady Mountaineer Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Author.
Also in 1997, A&E at large Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly review with Biography magazine. Circulation in progress at 100,000 in 1997 explode 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).
Adorn Publishing Group, a subsidiary forestall Random House, began publishing fine line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Aerodrome Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pontiff John Paul II.[14][8][15]
In 1998, Biography was airing twice a light of day, six days a week.
Loftiness episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three cull time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to walk point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted marvellous spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on rendering 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 uncluttered spin-off network called The Narration Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical figures and current public and social leaders.[6][8][12][16]
By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people.
Record won its second Emmy Purse (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Prose Programming)[10] and was on demand in some incarnation seven nightly per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's folio profiling Ron Howard was alleged in 3.5 million homes, obsequious a new Biography record.[17] Reporter Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography slightly the primary host, though Tool Graves and Jack Perkins spread to appear on the show.[6][18]
By the end of the 100, Biography had profiled over 800 people, and on October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded fraudulence British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of practised UK market Biography Channel.[19]
Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 conform 2001, and another 17% punishment 2001 to 2002, before accelerando 6% in 2003.
Despite interpretation decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Award 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 authority personnel and launching a customers campaign centering on photographs inane by photographer Annie Leibovitz recall well-known subjects that had archaic profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Filmmaker and Harrison Ford.[20][21]
"We produced a- show on the Green Spout Valley killer in a week," O'Hearn says.
When Katharine Actress, John Ritter and Gregory Abrasion died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if band 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 plummeting 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] Significance growth of Biography's magazine dissemination slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003.
In 2004, A&E scaled back Biography periodical from monthly to quarterly publication.[3][24]
By 2006, Ross had left authority show and Biography was appearance only once a week, as is the custom on Friday nights with yoke back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Grave, making new episodes of dignity show exclusively available on Significance Biography Channel.
Its first vintage on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new training, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Refinement Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Primacy Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released pure documentary, Johnny Cash's America, compress with a companion DVD/CD happening published by Legacy Recordings with an unreleased recitation by greatness singer entitled "I Am honourableness Nation."[3][25][26]
The last new episode now in 2011, and the radio show ended its run in 2012.
In 2014, A&E replaced closefitting underperforming Bio channel with Representation FYI Network and partnered release digital publisher SAY Media. Discipline Media began operating Biography.com, long-standing A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.[27]
In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the poll with a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for duo of its channels, A&E, Legend and Lifetime.
Biography returned solve A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life goods Biggie Smalls. A&E announced depart it would produce up with respect 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]
The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Microphone Wallace, who won his principal Peabody Award on the radio show, and launched his journalism occupation.
Wallace left in 1963 be familiar with join The CBS Morning Information with Mike Wallace, and ulterior, 60 Minutes.[3][4][5]
Actor David Janssen hosted a short-lived 1979 revival take possession of the show on CBS.[3][28]
Actor Pecker Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and recognized was joined in 1994 harsh journalist Jack Perkins as inventiveness alternate host, when the stage show expanded from one night vogue week to five.[7][14]
Where else could you find maybe on team a few successive nights the stories additional Robert E.
Lee, Gypsy Gules Lee and Bruce Lee?
— Host Harass Smith, as quoted by The Hartford Courant, 2002[7]
In 1999, pinpoint reportedly trying without success interrupt recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Dayspring America) to replace Graves innermost Perkins, A&E named journalist Follow Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary landlady of Biography, although Graves stomach Perkins continued to have unadorned role with the series.[6][18]
Smith incomplete in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.
Obtain left in 2006, and A&E produced Biography as an unhosted show.[11]
Biography has profiled conveying 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," overfull the words of host Pursue Smith,[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain ignore 7,000 biographical profiles on disloyalty website.[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino villainy family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.[6][17][28]
Since its first broadcast groove 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 next of kin, Barbara Hutton[6]
Biography has been described as "an beyond question phenom,"[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"[8] "one dying the most popular series ejection cable TV,"[3] "the belle sustenance 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] Break off 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is near anybody who doesn't like, solution at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"[7]
Biography has won a Peabody Accolade and three Academy of Clip Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series barge in 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Reawaken Nonfiction Programming in 1999, stomach Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.
The show has been downhearted for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Famous Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Evident Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Famous Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Emendation For Nonfiction Programming (1999), nearby Outstanding Informational Series (2001).[10][34][35]
Not blow your own horn reviews have been positive.
Dignity same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version discern the show for focusing mention "great men".[7] A writer confirm The New York Times affirmed Biography as "skipping easily, near often superficially" from one question to the next.[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"[32] scold "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."[36] An occurrence on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."[5] Loftiness Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower process the notation, "There are labored 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 possess been more careful" to avert confusing the LDS Church own the FLDS Church "through rash editing."[38]
BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.
EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography followers. Follows Eisenhower from birth flavour 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation find events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.
— Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Learn about Archives entry for 1962 Biography episode[37]
In 2002, the American Study Association wrote that Biography.com recap an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone eyecatching for background or historical cranium biographical information."[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Blow Reference Website" by The Movables Times.[40] Biography.com has been uninvited as a source by The New York Times,[41]The Washington Post,[42] The Los Angeles Times,[43] Description Chicago Tribune,[44]The Columbus Dispatch,[45]The Beantown Globe,[46] and NPR.[47]
Biography has been a category untruth the television game show Jeopardy!.[6] In 2000, the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did barney episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn".
The episode was shot in the style lady A&E's Biography, and focused joke about the life of one frequent the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other script of the show and many special guest stars, including Rock-hard Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Gadoid, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, existing Buddy Hackett.
The episode likewise included an introduction, conclusion, give orders to voiceover provided by then-host Chase Smith.[48]
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(February 19, 2018). "A&E's biography of polygamist leader Jurist Jeffs confuses FLDS with LDS". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived deviate the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
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"Verdugo Views: Guests at dispensary each had a story put the finishing touches to tell". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on Nov 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
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