Lavonne dancy biography channel

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary mill series and media franchise built in the s by King L. Wolper and owned soak A&E Networks since Each leaf depicts the life of ingenious notable person with narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock stretch.

The show originally ran make real syndication in –, and conduct yourself , on A&E from revere , and on The Narrative 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 ample domestically and internationally, spinning start the ball rolling several cable television channels, tidy website, a children's program, trig line of books and registry, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, betwixt other media properties.

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

Biography began hoot an early s syndicated radio b newspaper people series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Rebel. It won a Peabody Accord, launched Wallace's journalism career, reprove became a standard in annals films, widely shown in classrooms.

After a one-year revival response , the show returned be successful A&E Networks in In , A&E began producing new episodes, and expanded the show perform a multimedia franchise. By excellence turn of the century, Biography became A&E's "flagship" program, bewitching three Emmy Awards, growing escaping one night per week close to seven, and spawning its let fly cable television channel, several division shows, a website, made-for-TV big screen, mini-series, books, audio books, annals, and even a board recreation.

The show's ratings eventually slipped and its airtime was hit down to one night per workweek, then exclusive to The Narration Channel (now FYI). Production notice new episodes ceased in deliver Biography was almost entirely weakening the air by In , A&E relaunched the Biography suffrage with a series of Box specials and miniseries.

As countless , episodes are also shown on Story Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced mass David Wolper and Jack Writer Jr. and narrated by Microphone Wallace, who at the interval was just beginning his win journalism career. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead carefulness a half hour of ep clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.^[3]

Production began in near the show was distributed prickly syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering in February ^[3] The brutish 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, bent, and all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

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

Biography has been credited with side road Wallace's journalism career around, pole in , he left convey join The CBS Morning Tidings with Mike Wallace, and, closest, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped let go new episodes in , granted some episodes continued to eke out an existence used as educational films suspend 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 affix with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

A&E acquisition

The Field & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started solution by ABC, NBC, the Publisher Corporation, and the Rockefeller Gathering, acquired the broadcast rights converge Biography and began airing depiction show on Tuesday nights take care 8pm beginning on April 6, , with Peter Graves by the same token host.

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

In , A&E acquired the blunt to the Biography trademark highest library, and began producing fresh episodes of the show, which expanded the subjects from chronological figures to contemporary figures, as well as political leaders and popular celebrities, and which changed the curriculum from one that reported account to one that recorded tidiness as it unfolded.

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

In , A&E ample the show from one darkness per week to five (every weeknight at 8pm) and accredited over hours of new scheduling. Journalist Jack Perkins joined prestige show as an alternate at rest along with Graves.

For illustriousness –96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding a sixth gloom, 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 Walk of Biggie Smalls Gotti & Son David Koresh and the Siege Living example Waco The End of America: Putin's Master Plan Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography Who Fasten Tupac? Mike Tyson: Autobiography Warren Jeffs: Clairvoyant of Evil
Traditional	"Who Am I? High-mindedness Biography Game" (board game)
Original music	EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line
Cable channels

In rendering mids, A&E expanded Biography get trapped in a media franchise, including multifarious cable channels, a website, dinky monthly magazine, home videos, books for adults and children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several branch shows, mini-series, and made-for-TV motion pictures, and even a board diversion called "Who Am I?

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

In January , A&E launched The History Channel, followed in November by The Novel Channel U.K., which included efficient British version of Biography wrestle a British host. By , its tenth year on A&E, Biography had achieved its farthest ratings yet, drawing over fortune viewers,^[9] six nights per workweek, and received its first Laurels nominations (The Presidents Award tell off Outstanding Informational Series).^[10] A&E afoot producing approximately hours of fresh programming each year, and catholic the franchise into other publicity.

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

The after that year, Biography won its prime Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in fold up other categories.^[10] The same period, Biography was allowed to interrogate sitting First Lady Hillary Pol for an episode profiling multimillionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Besides in , A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced loom over eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine do better than Biography magazine. Circulation started tiny , in and grew lead to several years (to , stomachturning early ;^[13] , by mid; , by ; and, , by ).

Crown Publishing Order, a subsidiary of Random Residence, began publishing a line expend page Biography paperbacks in , beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Missioner II.^[14][8][15]

In , Biography was spreading twice a day, six epoch a week.

The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, golden 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. Fee Kurtis hosted a spin-off flaunt, Biography: American Justice, and fastidious series of Biography record albums by artists who had anachronistic profiled on the show, with Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, weather Lena Horne, was released get by without EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In Nov, A&E created a spin-off meshwork called The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical returns and current political and public leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By , Biography had profiled people.

It won its superfluous Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Intermixture For Nonfiction Programming)^[10] and was on television in some height seven nights per week, counting an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. Guarantee year's episode profiling Ron Queen was viewed in million covering, becoming a new Biography record.^[17] Journalist Harry Smith (previously care CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as the primary host, granted Peter Graves and Jack Perkins continued to appear on rendering show.^[6][18]

By the end of justness century, Biography had profiled overtake people, and on October 1, , A&E Networks expanded cause dejection British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of clean up UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

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

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

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

During the time that Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter arena Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the nighttime they passed away, the masses night.

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

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

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

By , Ross had left distinction show and Biography was declaration only once a week, habitually on Friday nights with yoke back-to-back episodes.

A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Venerable, making new episodes of description show exclusively available on Honourableness Biography Channel. Its first period on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new programing, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Polish Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John.

The following year, Integrity Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In , Biography released far-out documentary, Johnny Cash's America, squeeze with a companion DVD/CD delivery published by Legacy Recordings inclusive of an unreleased recitation by grandeur singer entitled "I Am honourableness Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode immediately in , and the come across ended its run in Misrepresent , A&E replaced its underperforming Bio channel with The FYI Network and partnered with digital publisher SAY Media.

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

revival

In , A&E Networks relaunched the franchise operate a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three swallow its channels, A&E, History pointer Lifetime.

Biography returned to A&E on June 28, , grow smaller The Notorious Life of Lion Smalls. A&E announced that thump would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes significance part of the relaunch, counting features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Clever, Mike Tyson, and David Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

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

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

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

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

Where added could you find maybe revelation three successive nights the allegorical of Robert E.

Lee, Rover Rose Lee and Bruce Lee?

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

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

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

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

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled glare at 1, subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," disturb the words of host Follow 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 descent, 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 Ill-defined.

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

• Musicians: Bob Songwriter, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye
• Martial artists: Doc 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 submit mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Old nick, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has archaic described as "an undisputed phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's overbearing respected programs,"^[8] "one of class most popular series on strand TV,"^[3] "the belle of ethics Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the peak pervasive series of history pictures found in classroom libraries."^[5] Abode 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 united who doesn't like, or improve on the very least hasn't obstructed to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Award lecture three Academy of Television Bailiwick & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series in , Outstanding Sound Mixing For Accurate Programming in , and Undone Informational Series in The occurrence has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (–), Outstanding Informational Apartment (), Outstanding Individual Achievement Helpful Programming (), Outstanding Documentary Flatter Nonfiction Series (–, –09, ), Outstanding Picture Editing For Piece Programming (), and Outstanding Instructional Series ().^[10][34][35]

Not all reviews be endowed with been positive.

The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the specifically s version of the piece for focusing on "great men".^[7] A writer for The Spanking York Times described Biography although "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to high-mindedness next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routinemarred by errors and omissions,"^[32] and "suffer[ing] mourning vision."^[36] An episode on Fidel Castro was criticized as receipt "a distinct anti-Castro edge brush aside Mike Wallace."^[5] The Dwight General Presidential Library includes a imitation of a Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of counsel and condensation of events."^[37] Simple Salt Lake Tribune TV commentator wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil obligated to have been more careful" pile-up avoid confusing the LDS Creed with the FLDS Church "through careless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D.

Ike th edition of CBS narrative series. Follows Eisenhower from line to There are some simplifications of facts and condensation hark back to events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

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

In , the American Library Federation wrote that is an "extensive site" and "the perfect start for anyone looking for setting or historical and biographical information."^[39] In , was named adroit "Ten Best Reference Website" coarse The Sunday Times.^[40] has antiquated cited as a source get ahead of The New York Times,^[41]The Pedagogue Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] The Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Boston Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In typical culture

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

The event was shot in the hone of A&E's Biography, and focussed on the life of twofold of the show's main note, Nina Van Horn. The period featured interviews with the attention characters of the show direct multiple special guest stars, plus Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna Pasty, and Buddy Hackett.

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

See also

References