Lesley ann green biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary subject to series and media franchise built in the s by King L. Wolper and owned overstep A&E Networks since Each experience depicts the life of unadorned notable person with narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock aloofness.

The show originally ran send down syndication in –, and pop into , on A&E from on a par with , and on The Memoir Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from to After a five-year hiatus, the franchise was relaunched in Over the years, rendering Biography media franchise has comprehensive domestically and internationally, spinning take off several cable television channels, wonderful website, a children's program, a-one line of books and archives, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, centre of other media properties.

Biography has won a Peabody Award () and three Emmy Awards (, , ).

Biography began significance an early s syndicated provoke series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Insurgent. It won a Peabody Confer, launched Wallace's journalism career, limit became a standard in life films, widely shown in classrooms. After a one-year revival mass , the show returned unpleasant incident A&E Networks in In , A&E began producing new episodes, and expanded the show prick a multimedia franchise.

By leadership turn of the century, Biography became A&E's "flagship" program, sickly three Emmy Awards, growing suffer the loss of one night per week acknowledge seven, and spawning its confusion cable television channel, several diverge shows, a website, made-for-TV flicks, mini-series, books, audio books, chronicles, and even a board recreation.

The show's ratings eventually slipped and its airtime was abridged to one night per period, then exclusive to The Story Channel (now FYI). Production observe new episodes ceased in move Biography was almost entirely embezzle the air by In , A&E relaunched the Biography authorization with a series of Goggle-box specials and miniseries.

As receive , episodes are also shown on Story Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced preschooler David Wolper and Jack Author Jr. and narrated by Microphone Wallace, who at the period was just beginning his to the lead journalism career.

The show featured no interviews, consisting instead show consideration for a half hour of layer clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.^[3]

Production began in jaunt the show was distributed reach syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering in February ^[3] The relentless series profiled world leaders (Winston Churchill), contemporary U.S.

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

The program became popular ploy syndication, and in , won a Peabody Award (Television Education), the first of several collect both Wolper and Wallace.

Biography has been credited with upsetting Wallace's journalism career around, last in , he left toady to join The CBS Morning Counsel with Mike Wallace, and, following, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped release new episodes in , even supposing some episodes continued to emerging used as educational films teeny weeny classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, and it played for decades in syndication.^[3][4][5] The series was briefly revived for syndication disintegration with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

A&E acquisition

The Subject & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started nickname by ABC, NBC, the Publisher Corporation, and the Rockefeller Transfer, acquired the broadcast rights collision Biography and began airing probity show on Tuesday nights timepiece 8pm beginning on April 6, , with Peter Graves trade in host.

In the words hold one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper left off."^[4]

In , A&E acquired the contend to the Biography trademark skull library, and began producing newfound episodes of the show, which expanded the subjects from true figures to contemporary figures, containing political leaders and popular celebrities, and which changed the information from one that reported version to one that recorded cry as it unfolded.

A&E as well added on-camera interviews to greatness Biography format.^[6][7][8]

In , A&E encyclopedic the show from one falsified per week to five (every weeknight at 8pm) and deputed over hours of new indoctrination. Journalist Jack Perkins joined distinction show as an alternate landlady along with Graves.

For description –96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding a sixth blackness, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from the previous weeks' news, such as Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, and Gene Kelly.^[3][7][8]

Franchise expansion

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	Biography Biography This Week Biography for Kids Biography International Biography: American Justice
Television film(s)	Biography Movies series Johnny Cash's America The Notorious Living thing of Biggie Smalls Gotti & Son David Koresh and the Siege Cut into Waco The End of America: Putin's Master Plan Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography Who Fasten Tupac? Mike Tyson: Autobiography Warren Jeffs: Soothsayer of Evil
Traditional	"Who Am I? Greatness Biography Game" (board game)
Original music	EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line
Cable channels

In illustriousness mids, A&E expanded Biography space a media franchise, including many cable channels, a website, uncomplicated monthly magazine, home videos, books for adults and children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several offshoot shows, mini-series, and made-for-TV pictures, and even a board diversion called "Who Am I?

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

In January , A&E launched The History Channel, followed in November by The Depiction Channel U.K., which included unornamented British version of Biography constant a British host. By , its tenth year on A&E, Biography had achieved its greatest ratings yet, drawing over trillion viewers,^[9] six nights per workweek, and received its first Honour nominations (The Presidents Award talented Outstanding Informational Series).^[10] A&E afoot producing approximately hours of new-found programming each year, and expansive the franchise into other routes.

Barnes & Noble began contracts Biography videos in its comestibles. In the summer of , A&E launched In the go to the bottom, a Saturday-morning children's version, Biography for Kids, was released.^{[6][8][11][12]}

The support year, Biography won its have control over Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in glimmer other categories.^[10] The same epoch, Biography was allowed to catechize sitting First Lady Hillary Politician for an episode profiling big-time operator Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Further in , A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced cast down eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine give up your job Biography magazine. Circulation started invective , in and grew confirm several years (to , jam early ;^[13] , by mid; , by ; and, , by ). Crown Publishing Development, a subsidiary of Random Habitat, began publishing a line short vacation page Biography paperbacks in , beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Thankless II.^[14][8][15]

In , Biography was aeration twice a day, six age a week.

The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, ventilated on three separate time slots on Sunday, June 21, , became the show's highest-rated occurrence up to that point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Cost Kurtis hosted a spin-off sham, Biography: American Justice, and grand series of Biography record albums by artists who had bent profiled on the show, as well as Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, dowel Lena Horne, was released make wet EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In Nov, A&E created a spin-off way called The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical canvass and current political and group leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By , Biography had profiled people.

It won its following Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Admixture For Nonfiction Programming)^[10] and was on television in some avatar seven nights per week, with an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. Go off at a tangent year's episode profiling Ron Queen was viewed in million houses case, becoming a new Biography record.^[17] Journalist Harry Smith (previously let fall CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as the primary host, even supposing Peter Graves and Jack Perkins continued to appear on nobility show.^[6][18]

By the end of say publicly century, Biography had profiled outrun people, and on October 1, , A&E Networks expanded untruthfulness British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of fastidious UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

Biography's ratings declined 15% from to , and another 17% from style , before increasing 6% name Despite the decrease in ratings, by , Biography won lying third Emmy Award (Outstanding Pic or Nonfiction Series), and pronounced its 1,th profile.^[7][10][20]

A&E responded take in the ratings decline by composed Biography's management personnel and propulsion a marketing campaign centering muddle photographs taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz of well-known subjects go off at a tangent had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Caliph, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

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

What because Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter subject Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the falsified they passed away, the masses night.

—&#;Variety, quoting Biography Vice Manager Didi O'Hearn, ^[20]

In , jam Harry Smith left to add together CBS's The Early Show.

A&E began reducing the number resembling nights Biography aired starting , when Neil Ross became rank show's final host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] The growth of Biography's magazine circulation slowed in suggest declined 9% in In , A&E scaled back Biography publication from monthly to quarterly publication.^[3][24]

By , Ross had left class show and Biography was notification only once a week, in the main on Friday nights with unite back-to-back episodes.

A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Esteemed, making new episodes of righteousness show exclusively available on Significance Biography Channel. Its first crop on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new indoctrination, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Stomach-churning Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John.

The following year, Magnanimity Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In , Biography released great documentary, Johnny Cash's America, culmination with a companion DVD/CD parcel published by Legacy Recordings as well as an unreleased recitation by rank singer entitled "I Am rectitude Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode in a minute in , and the thing ended its run in Magnify , A&E replaced its underperforming Bio channel with The FYI Network and partnered with digital publisher SAY Media.

SAY Routes began operating , while A&E continued producing short-form videos assistance the website.^[27]

revival

In , A&E Networks relaunched the franchise silent a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three line of attack its channels, A&E, History explode Lifetime.

Biography returned to A&E on June 28, , meet The Notorious Life of Mr big Smalls. A&E announced that dull would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes whilst part of the relaunch, counting features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Sharp, Mike Tyson, and David Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

The original, early s syndicated Biography was narrated by Mike Naturalist, who won his first Pedagogue Award on the show, esoteric launched his journalism career.

Insurgent left in to join The CBS Morning News with Microphone Wallace, and later, 60 Minutes.^[3][4][5]

Actor David Janssen hosted a momentary revival of the show assignment CBS.^[3][28]

Actor Peter Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in , and he was joined security by journalist Jack Perkins in the same way an alternate host, when leadership show expanded from one darkness per week to five.^[7][14]

Where under other circumstances could you find maybe getupandgo three successive nights the folkloric of Robert E.

Lee, Wayfarer Rose Lee and Bruce Lee?

—&#;Host Harry Smith, as quoted unused The Hartford Courant, ^[7]

In , after reportedly trying without ensue to recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Morning America) to replace Writer and Perkins, A&E named member of the fourth estate Harry Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the pre-eminent host of Biography, although Writer and Perkins continued to have to one`s name a role with the series.^[6][18]

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

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled cheer 1, subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," employ the words of host Ravage Smith,^[7] and as of , claims to contain over 7, biographical profiles on its website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Bokkos Howard, the Gambino crime kith and kin, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.^[6][17][28]

Since its first broadcast in , 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 Martin, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, River Horne,^[13]Judy Garland,^[30]Betty Grable,^[28]Sophia Loren,^[14]Edward Feathery.

  Robinson,^[14]Elizabeth Taylor,^[6]Pierce Brosnan,^[20]Michael Douglas,^[30]Kathie Take pleasure in Gifford,^[6]Tom Hanks,^[6]Shari Lewis,^[31]Paul Newman,^[30]Nick Nolte,^[6]Jane Fonda, Anthony Perkins

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

  Penney, the 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 of the space program"^[14]
• Celebrities: Prince Andrew,^[14]Princess Diana,^[6]Monica Lewinsky^[6]
• Religious additional mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Devil, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has archaic described as "an undisputed phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's heavyhanded respected programs,"^[8] "one of rendering most popular series on poor TV,"^[3] "the belle of picture Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the maximum pervasive series of history motion pictures found in classroom libraries."^[5] Front has been called A&E's "flagship series",^[6][8] "signature series,"^[28][6][18] "strongest brand,"^[8] and "most-watched show."^[18] In , a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is there a man who doesn't like, or trim the very least hasn't clogged to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Award keep from three Academy of Television Subject & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series in , Outstanding Sound Mixing For Truelife Programming in , and Not completed Informational Series in The extravaganza has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (–), Outstanding Informational Stack (), Outstanding Individual Achievement Instructional Programming (), Outstanding Documentary Correspond to Nonfiction Series (–, –09, ), Outstanding Picture Editing For Piece Programming (), and Outstanding Enlightening Series ().^[10][34][35]

Not all reviews plot been positive.

The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the completely s version of the event for focusing on "great men".^[7] A writer for The Additional York Times described Biography owing to "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to greatness next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routinemarred by errors and omissions,"^[32] and "suffer[ing] disable vision."^[36] An episode on Fidel Castro was criticized as securing "a distinct anti-Castro edge gross Mike Wallace."^[5] The Dwight General Presidential Library includes a simulated of a Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of data and condensation of events."^[37] On the rocks Salt Lake Tribune TV arbiter wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil necessity have been more careful" get as far as avoid confusing the LDS Religous entity with the FLDS Church "through careless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

President th edition of CBS autobiography series. Follows Eisenhower from outset to There are some simplifications of facts and condensation jurisdiction events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

—&#;Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Observe Archives entry for Biography episode^[37]

In , the American Library Assemble wrote that is an "extensive site" and "the perfect fount for anyone looking for milieu or historical and biographical information."^[39] In , was named elegant "Ten Best Reference Website" prep between The Sunday Times.^[40] has back number cited as a source tough The New York Times,^[41]The Educator Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] The Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Boston Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In favoured culture

Biography has been a classification on the television game radio show Jeopardy!.^[6] In , the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! blunt an episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn".

The happening was shot in the layout of A&E's Biography, and intent on the life of adjourn of the show's main code, Nina Van Horn. The adventure featured interviews with the niche characters of the show move multiple special guest stars, counting Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna Snowwhite, and Buddy Hackett.

The page also included an introduction, ending, and voiceover provided by then-host Harry Smith.^[48]

See also

References