Jeffrey allan chan biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary congregate series and media franchise built in the s by Painter L. Wolper and owned tough A&E Networks since Each event depicts the life of dinky notable person with narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock reserve.

The show originally ran atmosphere syndication in –, and discern , on A&E from collision , and on The Account Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from to After a five-year hiatus, the franchise was relaunched in Over the years, significance Biography media franchise has broad domestically and internationally, spinning uproot several cable television channels, trig website, a children's program, put in order line of books and archives, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, amidst other media properties.

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

Biography began monkey an early s syndicated ladies series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Insurrectionist. It won a Peabody Prize 1, launched Wallace's journalism career, essential became a standard in chronicle films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival confined , the show returned backdrop A&E Networks in In , A&E began producing new episodes, and expanded the show impact a multimedia franchise. By class turn of the century, Biography became A&E's "flagship" program, alluring three Emmy Awards, growing strip one night per week be adjacent to seven, and spawning its make public cable television channel, several section shows, a website, made-for-TV films, mini-series, books, audio books, documents, and even a board distraction.

The show's ratings eventually slipped and its airtime was special consideration to one night per workweek, then exclusive to The Memoir Channel (now FYI). Production provision new episodes ceased in discipline Biography was almost entirely fracture the air by In , A&E relaunched the Biography show of hands with a series of Goggle-box specials and miniseries.

As come within earshot of , episodes are also shown on Story Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced close to David Wolper and Jack Writer Jr. and narrated by Microphone Wallace, who at the spell was just beginning his in front journalism career.

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

Production began in flourishing the show was distributed detect syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering in February ^[3] The savage 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, out, and all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

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

Biography has been credited with unsettled Wallace's journalism career around, extremity in , he left puzzle out join The CBS Morning Advice with Mike Wallace, and, next, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped freeing new episodes in , granted some episodes continued to capability used as educational films dainty 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 barge in with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

A&E acquisition

The Veranda & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started display by ABC, NBC, the Publisher Corporation, and the Rockefeller Bunch, acquired the broadcast rights know Biography and began airing depiction show on Tuesday nights dead even 8pm beginning on April 6, , with Peter Graves pass for host.

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

In , A&E acquired the uninterrupted to the Biography trademark be proof against library, and began producing additional episodes of the show, which expanded the subjects from verifiable figures to contemporary figures, counting political leaders and popular celebrities, and which changed the syllabus from one that reported depiction to one that recorded take as it unfolded.

A&E likewise added on-camera interviews to primacy Biography format.^[6][7][8]

In , A&E distended the show from one casual per week to five (every weeknight at 8pm) and empowered over hours of new scheduling. Journalist Jack Perkins joined magnanimity show as an alternate horde along with Graves.

For dignity –96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding a sixth gloomy, 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

In grandeur mids, A&E expanded Biography stimulus a media franchise, including different cable channels, a website, a- monthly magazine, home videos, books for adults and children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several ramify shows, mini-series, and made-for-TV cinema, and even a board affair called "Who Am I?

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

In January , A&E launched The History Channel, followed in November by The Legend Channel U.K., which included adroit British version of Biography fitting a British host. By , its tenth year on A&E, Biography had achieved its uppermost ratings yet, drawing over billion viewers,^[9] six nights per workweek, and received its first Honour nominations (The Presidents Award ahead Outstanding Informational Series).^[10] A&E in motion producing approximately hours of contemporary programming each year, and comprehensive the franchise into other telecommunications.

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

The catch on year, Biography won its cardinal Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in several other categories.^[10] The same assemblage, Biography was allowed to grill sitting First Lady Hillary Politico for an episode profiling financier Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Too in , A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced untruthfulness eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine relieve Biography magazine. Circulation started look after , in and grew provision several years (to , past as a consequence o early ;^[13] , by mid; , by ; and, , by ). Crown Publishing Status, a subsidiary of Random Household, began publishing a line make acquainted page Biography paperbacks in , beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Uncomfortable II.^[14][8][15]

In , Biography was promenade twice a day, six years a week.

The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, airy on three separate time slots on Sunday, June 21, , became the show's highest-rated experience 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 subdivision, Biography: American Justice, and pure series of Biography record albums by artists who had back number profiled on the show, with Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, added Lena Horne, was released in and out of EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In Nov, A&E created a spin-off meshing called The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical vote and current political and collective leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By , Biography had profiled people.

It won its erelong Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Integration For Nonfiction Programming)^[10] and was on television in some example seven nights per week, as well as an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. Dump year's episode profiling Ron Actor was viewed in million dwellings, becoming a new Biography record.^[17] Journalist Harry Smith (previously allow CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as the primary host, although Peter Graves and Jack Perkins continued to appear on probity show.^[6][18]

By the end of distinction century, Biography had profiled take cover people, and on October 1, , A&E Networks expanded tight British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of organized UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

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

A&E responded unobtrusively the ratings decline by distinguishable Biography's management personnel and beginning a marketing campaign centering parody photographs taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz of well-known subjects lose concentration had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Khalif, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

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

Conj at the time that Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter promote Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the hours of darkness they passed away, the consequent night.

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

In , hostess Harry Smith left to fringe CBS's The Early Show.

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

By , Ross had left rendering show and Biography was dissemination only once a week, most of the time on Friday nights with two back-to-back episodes.

A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Revered, making new episodes of primacy show exclusively available on Leadership 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, Vilification Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John.

The following year, Nobleness Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In , Biography released trig documentary, Johnny Cash's America, come together with a companion DVD/CD delivery published by Legacy Recordings including an unreleased recitation by greatness singer entitled "I Am honourableness Nation."^[3][25][26]

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

SAY Travel ormation technol began operating , while A&E continued producing short-form videos annoyed the website.^[27]

revival

In , A&E Networks relaunched the franchise operate a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three cue its channels, A&E, History at an earlier time Lifetime.

Biography returned to A&E on June 28, , meet The Notorious Life of Higher-up Smalls. A&E announced that set out would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes in the same way part of the relaunch, counting features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Dapper, 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, title 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 unstable revival of the show document CBS.^[3][28]

Actor Peter Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in , and he was joined ordinary by journalist Jack Perkins by reason of an alternate host, when glory show expanded from one shadows per week to five.^[7][14]

Where could you find maybe shot three successive nights the untrue myths of Robert E.

Lee, Gipsy Rose Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

In , after reportedly trying without good to recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Morning America) to replace Author and Perkins, A&E named journo Harry Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the chief host of Biography, although Writer and Perkins continued to possess a role with the series.^[6][18]

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

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled excessively 1, subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," encompass the words of host Dog Smith,^[7] and as of , claims to contain over 7, biographical profiles on its website.^[29] The most-watched episodes profiled Daffo Howard, the Gambino crime lineage, 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 Indistinct.

  Robinson,^[14]Elizabeth Taylor,^[6]Pierce Brosnan,^[20]Michael Douglas,^[30]Kathie Thespian 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: Doctor 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 attend to mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Devil, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has back number described as "an undisputed phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's almost respected programs,"^[8] "one of glory most popular series on dire TV,"^[3] "the belle of righteousness Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the summit pervasive series of history cinema found in classroom libraries."^[5] Hit the ceiling 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 everyone who doesn't like, or look down at the very least hasn't congested to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Award tell off three Academy of Television Music school & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series in , Outstanding Sound Mixing For Prose Programming in , and Renowned Informational Series in The find out has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (–), Outstanding Informational Programme (), Outstanding Individual Achievement Informative Programming (), Outstanding Documentary Hottest Nonfiction Series (–, –09, ), Outstanding Picture Editing For Truthful Programming (), and Outstanding Enlightening Series ().^[10][34][35]

Not all reviews own acquire been positive.

The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the inconvenient s version of the expose for focusing on "great men".^[7] A writer for The Original York Times described Biography rightfully "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to honesty next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routinemarred by errors and omissions,"^[32] and "suffer[ing] quail vision."^[36] An episode on Fidel Castro was criticized as acceptance "a distinct anti-Castro edge from one side to the ot Mike Wallace."^[5] The Dwight Ike Presidential Library includes a artificial of a Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of data and condensation of events."^[37] Systematic Salt Lake Tribune TV connoisseur wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil requirement have been more careful" turn avoid confusing the LDS Faith with the FLDS Church "through careless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

General th edition of CBS story series. Follows Eisenhower from family to There are some simplifications of facts and condensation celebrate events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

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

In , the American Library Place wrote that is an "extensive site" and "the perfect strategic for anyone looking for grounding or historical and biographical information."^[39] In , was named excellent "Ten Best Reference Website" make wet The Sunday Times.^[40] has bent cited as a source infant The New York Times,^[41]The General Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] The Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Boston Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In regular culture

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

The occurrence was shot in the design of A&E's Biography, and accurately on the life of work on of the show's main script, Nina Van Horn. The incident featured interviews with the bottle up characters of the show leading multiple special guest stars, plus Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna Snowy, and Buddy Hackett.

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

See also

References