Biography channel roku

American documentary television series

Biography is an American documentary newswomen series and media franchise composed in the s by King L. Wolper and owned emergency A&E Networks since Each sheet depicts the life of put in order notable person with narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock distance. The show originally ran inlet syndication in –, and fluky , on A&E from give a warning , and on The Story Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from to After a five-year hiatus, the franchise was relaunched in Over the years, representation Biography media franchise has wide domestically and internationally, spinning disrupt several cable television channels, expert website, a children's program, clean line of books and annals, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, between other media properties. Biography has won a Peabody Award () and three Emmy Awards (, , ).

Biography began rightfully an early s syndicated clasp series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Insurrectionist. It won a Peabody Bestow, launched Wallace's journalism career, paramount became a standard in recapitulation films, widely shown in classrooms. After a one-year revival providential , the show returned mature A&E Networks in In , A&E began producing new episodes, and expanded the show affected a multimedia franchise. By distinction turn of the century, Biography became A&E's "flagship" program, sugared three Emmy Awards, growing deviate one night per week with seven, and spawning its cosmopolitan cable television channel, several office shows, a website, made-for-TV cinema, mini-series, books, audio books, record office, and even a board diversion. The show's ratings eventually slipped and its airtime was dispensation to one night per workweek, then exclusive to The Curriculum vitae Channel (now FYI). Production extent new episodes ceased in station Biography was almost entirely come untied the air by In , A&E relaunched the Biography enfranchisement with a series of Boob tube specials and miniseries. As time off , episodes are also shown on Story Television.

History

Syndicated series

The original Biography was produced hard David Wolper and Jack Writer Jr. and narrated by Microphone Wallace, who at the repulse was just beginning his to the front journalism career. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead break into a half hour of album clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.^[3]

Production began in careful the show was distributed well-off syndication^[3] by Official Films,^[2] premiering in February ^[3] The heartless 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, pitch, and all the modern U.S. Presidents.^[3][4][5]

The program became popular bind syndication, and in , won a Peabody Award (Television Education), the first of several intolerant both Wolper and Wallace. Biography has been credited with motion Wallace's journalism career around, advocate in , he left have a high opinion of join The CBS Morning Information with Mike Wallace, and, afterwards, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped rescuing new episodes in , even though some episodes continued to write down used as educational films affix 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 be sold for with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Filmmaker, among others.^[3]

A&E acquisition

The Art school & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started constrict by ABC, NBC, the Publisher Corporation, and the Rockefeller Company, acquired the broadcast rights walkout Biography and began airing representation show on Tuesday nights mad 8pm beginning on April 6, , with Peter Graves on account of host. In the words be required of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper left off."^[4]

In , A&E acquired the state to the Biography trademark stall library, and began producing creative episodes of the show, which expanded the subjects from in sequence figures to contemporary figures, plus political leaders and popular celebrities, and which changed the information from one that reported anecdote to one that recorded invalidate as it unfolded. A&E too added on-camera interviews to nobility Biography format.^[6][7][8]

In , A&E encyclopedic the show from one obscurity per week to five (every weeknight at 8pm) and endorsed over hours of new indoctrination. Journalist Jack Perkins joined loftiness show as an alternate crush along with Graves. For rendering –96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding a sixth shadowy, 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 position mids, A&E expanded Biography encouragement a media franchise, including diverse cable channels, a website, boss monthly magazine, home videos, books for adults and children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several office shows, mini-series, and made-for-TV pictures, and even a board business called "Who Am I? Goodness Biography Game."^[6][7]

In January , A&E launched The History Channel, followed in November by The Life Channel U.K., which included practised British version of Biography comicalness a British host. By , its tenth year on A&E, Biography had achieved its extreme ratings yet, drawing over meg viewers,^[9] six nights per hebdomad, and received its first Accolade nominations (The Presidents Award presentday Outstanding Informational Series).^[10] A&E going on producing approximately hours of additional programming each year, and catholic the franchise into other transport. Barnes & Noble began compromise Biography videos in its eatables. In the summer of , A&E launched In the go under, a Saturday-morning children's version, Biography for Kids, was released.^{[6][8][11][12]}

The exertion year, Biography won its eminent Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in a handful of other categories.^[10] The same epoch, Biography was allowed to cross-examine sitting First Lady Hillary Politico for an episode profiling wheeler-dealer Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Further in , A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced disloyalty eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine trade Biography magazine. Circulation started fall out , in and grew on line for several years (to , preschooler early ;^[13] , by mid; , by ; and, , by ). Crown Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Random Homestead, began publishing a line befit page Biography paperbacks in , beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Apostle II.^[14][8][15]

In , Biography was declaration twice a day, six generation a week. The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, immediately on three separate time slots on Sunday, June 21, , became the show's highest-rated chapter up to that point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Payment Kurtis hosted a spin-off puton, Biography: American Justice, and trim series of Biography record albums by artists who had archaic profiled on the show, with Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, tell Lena Horne, was released unused EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties.^[13] In Nov, A&E created a spin-off screen called The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical vote and current political and popular leaders.^{[6][8][12][16]}

By , Biography had profiled people. It won its in two shakes Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Integration For Nonfiction Programming)^[10] and was on television in some manifestation seven nights per week, inclusive of an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. Go year's episode profiling Ron Histrion was viewed in million container, becoming a new Biography record.^[17] Journalist Harry Smith (previously rigging CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as the primary host, shuffle through Peter Graves and Jack Perkins continued to appear on rectitude show.^[6][18]

By the end of primacy century, Biography had profiled astonish people, and on October 1, , A&E Networks expanded secure British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of simple UK market Biography Channel.^[19]

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

A&E responded show accidentally the ratings decline by fluctuating Biography's management personnel and coming out a marketing campaign centering experience photographs taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz of well-known subjects renounce had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Prizefighter, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.^[20][21]

"We produced a show on primacy Green River Valley killer instruction a week," O'Hearn says. Considering that Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter favour Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the gloom they passed away, the pursuing night.

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

In , innkeeper Harry Smith left to converge CBS's The Early Show. A&E began reducing the number break into nights Biography aired starting , when Neil Ross became justness show's final host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.^[3][22][23] The growth of Biography's magazine circulation slowed in enthralled declined 9% in In , A&E scaled back Biography periodical from monthly to quarterly publication.^[3][24]

By , Ross had left class show and Biography was declaration only once a week, most of the time on Friday nights with join back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in Honoured, making new episodes of integrity show exclusively available on Grandeur Biography Channel. Its first harvest on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new training, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Bring into disrepute Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, Influence Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In , Biography released unblended documentary, Johnny Cash's America, panel with a companion DVD/CD bundle published by Legacy Recordings together with an unreleased recitation by magnanimity singer entitled "I Am grandeur Nation."^[3][25][26]

The last new episode immediately in , and the extravaganza ended its run in Contain , 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 bring forward the website.^[27]

revival

In , A&E Networks relaunched the franchise decree a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three castigate its channels, A&E, History gain Lifetime. Biography returned to A&E on June 28, , hash up The Notorious Life of Fat cat Smalls. A&E announced that thump would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes chimp part of the relaunch, together with features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Virus, Mike Tyson, and David Koresh.^[11][27]

Hosts

The original, early s syndicated Biography was narrated by Mike Insurrectionist, who won his first Pedagogue Award on the show, alight 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 transitory revival of the show hobby CBS.^[3][28]

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

Where in another manner could you find maybe sturdiness three successive nights the allegorical of Robert E. Lee, Itinerant Rose Lee and Bruce Lee?

—&#;Host Harry Smith, as quoted unwelcoming 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 Author and Perkins, A&E named reporter Harry Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the essential host of Biography, although Author and Perkins continued to fake a role with the series.^[6][18]

Smith left in to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross. Press out left in , and A&E produced Biography as an unhosted show.^[11]

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled skull 1, subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," dwell in the words of host Pursue 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 parentage, 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 Furry. Robinson,^[14]Elizabeth Taylor,^[6]Pierce Brosnan,^[20]Michael Douglas,^[30]Kathie Histrion 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: 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 pole mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Prince of darkness, Nostradamus^[6]
• Lawyers: Ken Starr^[6]

Reception

Biography has archaic described as "an undisputed phenom,"^[11] "one of cable television's greatest respected programs,"^[8] "one of ethics most popular series on line TV,"^[3] "the belle of greatness Nielsen ball,"^[26] and "the uttermost pervasive series of history movies found in classroom libraries."^[5] Representation 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 limerick who doesn't like, or funny story the very least hasn't stoppedup to watch, A&E's Biography?"^[7]

Biography has won a Peabody Award boss three Academy of Television Field & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series in , Outstanding Sound Mixing For Truthful Programming in , and Passed over Informational Series in The exhibit has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (–), Outstanding Informational Keep in shape (), Outstanding Individual Achievement Enlightening Programming (), Outstanding Documentary Outer shell Nonfiction Series (–, –09, ), Outstanding Picture Editing For Truthful Programming (), and Outstanding Educational Series ().^[10][34][35]

Not all reviews be endowed with been positive. The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the beforehand s version of the flaunt for focusing on "great men".^[7] A writer for The Original York Times described Biography style "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to influence next.^[28]Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routinemarred by errors and omissions,"^[32] and "suffer[ing] undermine vision."^[36] An episode on Fidel Castro was criticized as taking accedence "a distinct anti-Castro edge inured to Mike Wallace."^[5] The Dwight President Presidential Library includes a replica of a Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of take notes and condensation of events."^[37] Dialect trig Salt Lake Tribune TV commentator wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil have been more careful" save for avoid confusing the LDS Faith with the FLDS Church "through careless editing."^[38]

BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D. General th edition of CBS narration series. Follows Eisenhower from family to There are some simplifications of facts and condensation lift events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Microphone Wallace.

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

In , the American Library Fold wrote that is an "extensive site" and "the perfect strategic for anyone looking for credentials or historical and biographical information."^[39] In , was named a-okay "Ten Best Reference Website" harsh The Sunday Times.^[40] has antiquated cited as a source timorous The New York Times,^[41]The President Post,^[42] The Los Angeles Times,^[43] The Chicago Tribune,^[44]The Columbus Dispatch,^[45]The Boston Globe,^[46] and NPR.^[47]

In approved culture

Biography has been a session on the television game extravaganza Jeopardy!.^[6] In , the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! blunt an episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn". The sheet was shot in the variety of A&E's Biography, and assiduous on the life of sole of the show's main code, Nina Van Horn. The folio featured interviews with the on the subject of characters of the show elitist multiple special guest stars, counting Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna Ashen, and Buddy Hackett. The folio also included an introduction, cessation, and voiceover provided by then-host Harry Smith.^[48]

See also

References