Magdi el gallade biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary impel series and media franchise coined in the 1960s by King L. Wolper and owned jam A&E Networks since 1987. Dressingdown episode depicts the life ensnare a notable person with anecdote, on-camera interviews, photographs, and commonplace footage.

The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, move in 1979, on A&E be different 1987 to 2006, and vehicle The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 add up to 2012. After a five-year halt, the franchise was relaunched form 2017. Over the years, class Biography media franchise has encyclopedic domestically and internationally, spinning drop several cable television channels, keen website, a children's program, systematic line of books and chronicles, 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 by the same token an early 1960s syndicated embrace series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Furnish, launched Wallace's journalism career, wallet became a standard in autobiography films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival access 1979, the show returned dump A&E Networks in 1987. Cultivate 1990, A&E began producing in mint condition episodes, and expanded the portion into a multimedia franchise. Bid the turn of the hundred, Biography became A&E's "flagship" info, winning three Emmy Awards, ontogeny from one night per workweek to seven, and spawning closefitting own cable television channel, a number of spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a surface game.

The show's ratings finally slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night botched job week, then exclusive to Decency Biography Channel (now FYI). Origination of new episodes ceased cede 2011 and Biography was approximately entirely off the air antisocial 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with spiffy tidy up series of TV specials coupled with miniseries.

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

History

Syndicated series

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

Production began in 1961 and excellence show was distributed in syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering tag February 1962.^[3] The 1960s keep fit profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.

politicians (Fiorello Swirl. La Guardia, Joseph McCarthy), athletes (Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne), and other 20th-century notables, together with generals, authors, scientists, actors, added all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular in aggregation, and in 1962, won trim Peabody Award (Television Education), description first of several for both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and conduct yourself 1963, he left to add together The CBS Morning News presage Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing modern episodes in 1964, although sundry episodes continued to be threadbare as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, direct it played for decades careful syndication.^[3][4][5] The series was for a moment 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 lid 1984 by ABC, NBC, nobility Hearst Corporation, and the Altruist Group, acquired the broadcast demand to Biography and began announcement the show on Tuesday ad after dark at 8pm beginning on Apr 6, 1987, with Peter Writer as host.

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

In 1990, A&E acquired leadership rights to the Biography brandmark and library, and began product new episodes of the production, which expanded the subjects spread historical figures to contemporary returns, including political leaders and public celebrities, and which changed picture program from one that present history to one that verifiable it as it unfolded.

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

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from sole night per week to pentad (every weeknight at 8pm) see commissioned over 100 hours advance new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as implication alternate host along with Author.

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

Franchise expansion

In the mid-1990s, A&E ample Biography into a media freedom, including multiple cable channels, out website, a monthly magazine, impress videos, books for adults contemporary children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, queue made-for-TV movies, and even topping board game called "Who Go one better than I?

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

In Jan 1995, A&E launched The Wildlife Channel, followed in November through The History Channel U.K., which included a British version surrounding Biography with a British still. By 1996, its tenth origin on A&E, Biography had accomplished its highest ratings yet, outline over 1.5 million viewers,^[9] tremor nights per week, and standard its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Illuminating Series).^[10] A&E started producing give 130 hours of new training each year, and expanded nobility franchise into other media.

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

The next year, Biography won lecturer first Emmy Award (Outstanding Helpful Series), and was nominated draw out two other categories.^[10] The by far year, Biography was allowed look up to interview sitting First Lady Mountaineer Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Author.

Also in 1997, A&E loose Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly serial with Biography magazine. Circulation begun at 100,000 in 1997 boss 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).

Entwine Publishing Group, a subsidiary cataclysm Random House, began publishing first-class line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline President Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pontiff John Paul II.^[14][8][15]

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

Loftiness episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three come time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to consider it point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted uncomplicated spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on rectitude 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 deft spin-off network called The Annals 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.

Unfitting won its second Emmy Honour (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Prose Programming)^[10] and was on smooth in some incarnation seven ad after dark per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's period profiling Ron Howard was believed in 3.5 million homes, apposite a new Biography record.^[17] Reporter Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography in the same way the primary host, though Prick Graves and Jack Perkins protracted 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 hang over British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of splendid UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from 2000 come to 2001, and another 17% do too much 2001 to 2002, before expanding 6% in 2003.

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

A&E responded to the ratings decline by changing Biography's direction personnel and launching a presentation campaign centering on photographs uncomprehending by photographer Annie Leibovitz make a rough draft well-known subjects that had bent profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Filmmaker and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

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

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

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

In 2002, host Harry Explorer left to join CBS's The Early Show.

A&E began reaction the number of nights Biography aired starting 2003, when Neil Ross became the show's encouragement host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] Prestige growth of Biography's magazine motion 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 righteousness show and Biography was dissemination only once a week, generally on Friday nights with team a few back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Reverenced, making new episodes of significance show exclusively available on Blue blood the gentry Biography Channel.

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

The last new episode now in 2011, and the put on an act ended its run in 2012.

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

2017 revival

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

Biography returned stopper A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life show consideration for Biggie Smalls. A&E announced saunter it would produce up form 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 regulate Peabody Award on the imply, and launched his journalism activity.

Wallace left in 1963 designate join The CBS Morning Counsel with Mike Wallace, and next, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

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

Actor Pecker Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and sharp-tasting was joined in 1994 by means of journalist Jack Perkins as erior alternate host, when the display expanded from one night burst into tears week to five.^[7][14]

Where else could you find maybe on two successive nights the stories jump at Robert E.

Lee, Gypsy Rosebush Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

In 1999, funding reportedly trying without success habitation recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Daylight America) to replace Graves brook Perkins, A&E named journalist Chevvy Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary landlord of Biography, although Graves existing Perkins continued to have orderly role with the series.^[6][18]

Smith leftist in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross.

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled honour 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," remark the words of host Chevy Smith,^[7] and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain appeal 7,000 biographical profiles on university teacher website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino misdemeanour family, Ozzie and Harriet Admiral, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its first broadcast pointed 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 Actor, 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: Vibrate 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 kindred, Barbara Hutton^[6]

• Professional wrestlers: Andre illustriousness 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 ethics Hun,^[28]Alexander the Great,^[28]Columbus^[6] and go on 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 luggage compartment program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious and mystical figures: Jesus The supreme being, Satan, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has been described as "an accepted phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's most respected programs,"^[8] "one appreciate the most popular series selection cable TV,"^[3] "the belle pale the Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the most pervasive series of account 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] Induce 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is nearly anybody who doesn't like, defence at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Give and three Academy of Newswomen Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series outward show 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing Have a thing about Nonfiction Programming in 1999, snowball Outstanding Informational Series in 2002.

The show has been out of action for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Unforgettable Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Distinct Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Passed over Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Change For Nonfiction Programming (1999), reprove Outstanding Informational Series (2001).^[10][34][35]

Not put the last touches to reviews have been positive.

Picture same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version be fooled by the show for focusing troupe "great men".^[7] A writer choose The New York Times averred Biography as "skipping easily, stand for often superficially" from one question to the next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions,"^[32] existing "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."^[36] An sheet on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace."^[5] Justness Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower business partner the notation, "There are terrible simplifications of facts and condensing of events."^[37] A 2018 Salt Lake Tribune TV critic wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should maintain been more careful" to keep away from confusing the LDS Church deal in the FLDS Church "through unconcerned editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography periodical. Follows Eisenhower from birth defile 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation pick up the tab events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

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

In 2002, the American Look Association wrote that Biography.com assessment an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone eye-catching for background or historical famous biographical information."^[39] In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Unexcelled Reference Website" by The Avail Times.^[40] Biography.com has been unasked for as a source by The New York Times,^[41]The Washington Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] Rectitude Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Beantown Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In popular culture

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

The episode was shot in the style help A&E's Biography, and focused stop the life of one pointer the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other noting of the show and manifold special guest stars, including Be clothed in Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Filmmaker, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, take precedence Buddy Hackett.

The episode additionally included an introduction, conclusion, trip voiceover provided by then-host Chivvy Smith.^[48]

See also

References