:Biography (TV program)

{{Infobox television

| image = Biography tv series logo.png

| image_alt =

| caption =

| genre = Documentary

| creator = David L. Wolper

| based_on =

| developer =

| writer =

| director =

| creative_director =

| presenter = {{ubl|Mike Wallace (1961–1963)|David Janssen (1979)|Peter Graves (1987–1999)|Jack Perkins (1994–1999)|Harry Smith (1999–2002)|Neil Ross (2003–2006)}}

| starring =

| judges =

| voices =

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme =

| endtheme =

| composer =

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons =

| num_episodes =

| list_episodes =

| executive_producer =

| producer =

| editor =

| cinematography =

| camera =

| runtime = 30/60/120 minutes

| company = Wolper Productions (1961–1963, 1979)
ABC News Productions{{cite web|title=About the Producers|url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_security_vs_liberty_producers.html|work=America at a Crossroads|publisher=PBS|access-date=23 January 2014}}

| network = Syndication

| network3 = {{ubl|A&E (1987–2006)|The Biography Channel/Bio/FYI (2006–2012)}}

| first_aired = {{Start date|1962|02}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1964}}

| first_aired2 = {{Start date|1979}}

| first_aired3 = {{Start date|1987|04|06}}

| last_aired3 = {{End date|2012}}

| related = {{ubl|Biography This Week|Biography for Kids|Biography International|Biography: American Justice|Biography: WWE Legends}}

}}

Biography is an American documentary television series and media franchise created in the 1960s by David L. Wolper and owned by A&E Networks since 1987. Each episode depicts the life of a notable person with narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock footage. The show originally ran in syndication in 1962–1964, and in 1979, on A&E from 1987 to 2006, and on The Biography Channel (later Bio, now FYI) from 2006 to 2012. After a five-year hiatus, the franchise was relaunched in 2017. Over the years, the Biography media franchise has expanded domestically and internationally, spinning off several cable television channels, a website, a children's program, a line of books and records, and a series of made-for-TV movies, specials, and miniseries, among other media properties. Biography has won a Peabody Award (1962) and three Emmy Awards (1997, 1999, 2002).

Biography began as an early 1960s syndicated television series produced by David Wolper and narrated by Mike Wallace. It won a Peabody Award, launched Wallace's journalism career, and became a standard in biography films, widely shown in classrooms. After a one-year revival in 1979, the show returned on A&E Networks in 1987. In 1990, A&E began producing new episodes, and expanded the show into a multimedia franchise. By the turn of the century, Biography became A&E's "flagship" program, winning three Emmy Awards, growing from one night per week to seven, and spawning its own cable television channel, several spin-off shows, a website, made-for-TV movies, mini-series, books, audio books, records, and even a board game. The show's ratings eventually slipped and its airtime was reduced to one night per week, then exclusive to The Biography Channel (now FYI). Production of new episodes ceased in 2011 and Biography was almost entirely off the air by 2012. In 2017, A&E relaunched the Biography franchise with a series of TV specials and miniseries. As of 2022, episodes are also shown on Story Television.

History

= Syndicated series =

File:1961 Biography ad.png |access-date=November 16, 2018 |page=4}}]]

The original Biography was produced by David Wolper and Jack Haley Jr. and narrated by Mike Wallace, who at the time was just beginning his award-winning journalism career. The show featured no interviews, consisting instead of a half hour of film clips, newsreel footage, still photographs and recordings.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA148 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle F. |date=2009 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-48320-1 |pages=148 |access-date=November 17, 2018}}

Production began in 1961 and the show was distributed in syndication by Official Films, premiering in February 1962. The 1960s 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, actors, and all the modern U.S. Presidents.

{{cite book |url=http://www.bu.edu/jeremymb/files/2017/07/encyclopedia-entry-copy-pdf.pdf |title=Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications |author1=Murray-Brown |first=Jeremy |publisher=Academic Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-12-387672-0 |editor1-last=Johnston |editor1-first=Donald H. |location=San Diego, CA, USA|chapter=Documentary Films |access-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116131649/http://www.bu.edu/jeremymb/files/2017/07/encyclopedia-entry-copy-pdf.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

For Mike Wallace:

{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/mike-wallace-dies-veteran-journalist-and-former-60-minutes-interviewer-was-93/2012/04/08/gIQAwzIu3S_story.html |title=Mike Wallace dies; veteran journalist and former '60 Minutes' correspondent was 93 |last1=Bernstein |first1=Adam |date=April 8, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414164005/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/mike-wallace-dies-veteran-journalist-and-former-60-minutes-interviewer-was-93/2012/04/08/gIQAwzIu3S_story.html |archive-date=April 14, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/business/media/mike-wallace-cbs-pioneer-of-60-minutes-dead-at-93.html |title=Mike Wallace, CBS Pioneer of '60 Minutes,' Dead at 93 |last1=Weiner |first1=Tim |date=April 8, 2012 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124200522/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/business/media/mike-wallace-cbs-pioneer-of-60-minutes-dead-at-93.html |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}{{cite book |url=https://the-eye.eu/public/concen.org/Nonfiction.Ebooks.JOURNALISM.Pack.Mar.2015-PHC/9781476605715.McFarland.Films%20You%20Saw%20in%20School_%20A%20Critical%20Review%20of%201%2C153%20Classroom%20Educational%20Films%20%281958-1985%29%20in%2074%20Subject%20Categories.Geoff%20Alexander.Dec%2C2013.pdf |title=Films you saw in school : a critical review of 1,153 classroom educational films (1958–1985) in 74 subject categories |last1=Alexander |first1=Geoff |date=2014 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-7263-5 |access-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116131555/https://the-eye.eu/public/concen.org/Nonfiction.Ebooks.JOURNALISM.Pack.Mar.2015-PHC/9781476605715.McFarland.Films%20You%20Saw%20in%20School_%20A%20Critical%20Review%20of%201%2C153%20Classroom%20Educational%20Films%20%281958-1985%29%20in%2074%20Subject%20Categories.Geoff%20Alexander.Dec%2C2013.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

The program became popular in syndication, and in 1962, won a Peabody Award (Television Education), the first of several for both Wolper and Wallace. Biography has been credited with turning Wallace's journalism career around, and in 1963, he left to join The CBS Morning News with Mike Wallace, and, later, 60 Minutes. Biography stopped releasing new episodes in 1964, although some episodes continued to be used as educational films in classrooms, became standards for filmed biographies of the persons profiled, and it played for decades in syndication. The series was briefly revived for syndication in 1979 with host David Janssen, profiling Idi Amin and Walt Disney, among others.

= 1987 A&E acquisition =

The Arts & Entertainment Network (now A&E), a joint venture started in 1984 by ABC, NBC, the Hearst Corporation, and the Rockefeller Group, acquired the broadcast rights to Biography and began airing the show on Tuesday nights at 8pm beginning on April 6, 1987, with Peter Graves as host. In the words of one observer, A&E's Biography "picked up where Wolper left off."

In 1990, A&E acquired the rights to the Biography trademark and library, and began producing new episodes of the show, which expanded the subjects from historical figures to contemporary figures, including political leaders and popular celebrities, and which changed the program from one that reported history to one that recorded it as it unfolded. A&E also added on-camera interviews to the Biography format.{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-03-15-9903150141-story.html |title=HARRY SMITH JOINS THE FACES ON 'BIOGRAPHY' |last1=Johnson |first1=Allan |date=March 15, 1999 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112856/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-03-15-9903150141-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-03-01-0203011019-story.html |title='BIOGRAPHY': A FORMULA WITH STAYING POWER |last1=Endrst |first1=James |date=March 1, 2002 |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115071450/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-03-01-0203011019-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}{{cite book |title=International Directory of Company Histories |publisher=St. James Press |year=2000 |volume=32 |chapter=A & E Television Networks History |access-date=November 13, 2018 |chapter-url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/a-e-television-networks-history/ |via=Funding Universe.com}}

In 1994, A&E expanded the show from one night per week to five (every weeknight at 8pm) and commissioned over 100 hours of new programming. Journalist Jack Perkins joined the show as an alternate host along with Graves. For the 1995–96 season, A&E expanded Biography again, adding a sixth night, Biography This Week, which profiled someone from the previous weeks' news, such as Yitzak Rabin, George Burns, and Gene Kelly.

= Franchise expansion =

{{Infobox media franchise

| title = Biography (media franchise)

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| creator = David L. Wolper

| owner = A&E Networks

| origin = TV series

| books = Crown Publishing Group/Random House-published line

| novels =

| short_stories =

| comics =

| graphic_novels =

| strips =

| magazines = Biography magazine

| films =

| shorts =

| tv = {{ubl|Biography|Biography This Week|

Biography for Kids|

Biography International|

Biography: American Justice}}

| atv =

| tv_specials =

| tv_films = {{ubl|Biography Movies series|

Johnny Cash's America|

The Notorious Life of Biggie Smalls|

Gotti & Son|

David Koresh and the Siege Of Waco|

The End of America: Putin's Master Plan|

Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography|

Who Killed Tupac?|

Mike Tyson: Autobiography|

Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil}}

| dtv =

| plays =

| musicals =

| games="Who Am I? The Biography Game" (board game)

| rpgs =

| vgs =

| radio =

| soundtracks =

| music = EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties-published line

| toys =

| attractions =

| otherlabel1 = Cable channels

| otherdata1 = {{ubl|The Biography Channel (1998–2006)|

Bio (channel) (2006–14)|The Biography Channel (UK and Ireland)|

Bio (Australian)|

The Biography Channel (Canada)}}

| otherlabel2 =

| otherdata2 =

| otherlabel3 =

| otherdata3 =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

In the mid-1990s, A&E expanded Biography into a media franchise, including multiple cable channels, a website, a monthly magazine, home videos, books for adults and children, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, several spin-off shows, mini-series, and made-for-TV movies, and even a board game called "Who Am I? The Biography Game."

In January 1995, A&E launched The History Channel, followed in November by The History Channel U.K., which included a British version of Biography with a British host. By 1996, its tenth year on A&E, Biography had achieved its highest ratings yet, drawing over 1.5 million viewers,{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/record-ratings-for-a-e-biography-1117436317/ |title=Record ratings for A&E, 'Biography' |last1=Richmond |first1=Ray |date=December 24, 1996 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112833/https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/record-ratings-for-a-e-biography-1117436317/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} six nights per week, and received its first Emmy nominations (The Presidents Award and Outstanding Informational Series).{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=biography&submit=Search&field_celebrity_details_field_display_name=&field_show_details_field_nominee_show_nr_title=&field_show_details_field_network=All&field_show_details_field_production_company=All&field_nominations_year=1949-01-01%2000%3A00%3A00&field_nominations_year_1=2018-01-01%2000%3A00%3A00&field_award_category=All |title=Awards Search ("Biography") |publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115115818/https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=biography&submit=Search&field_celebrity_details_field_display_name=&field_show_details_field_nominee_show_nr_title=&field_show_details_field_network=All&field_show_details_field_production_company=All&field_nominations_year=1949-01-01%2000%3A00%3A00&field_nominations_year_1=2018-01-01%2000%3A00%3A00&field_award_category=All |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} A&E started producing approximately 130 hours of new programming each year, and expanded the franchise into other media. Barnes & Noble began selling Biography videos in its 400 stores. In the summer of 1996, A&E launched Biography.com. In the fall, a Saturday-morning children's version, Biography for Kids, was released.{{cite news |url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/biography-series-set-to-return-to-a-e-1.13296958 |title=A&E revives classic 'Biography' series |last1=Gay |first1=Verne |date=March 21, 2017 |work=Newsday |access-date=November 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113006/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/biography-series-set-to-return-to-a-e-1.13296958 |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-19-ca-61373-story.html |title=The Story Behind A&E's 'Biography' |last=Willens |first=Michele |date=June 19, 1998 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 18, 2018 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831150020/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/19/entertainment/ca-61373 |archive-date=August 31, 2015 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

The next year, Biography won its first Emmy Award (Outstanding Informational Series), and was nominated in two other categories. The same year, Biography was allowed to interview sitting First Lady Hillary Clinton for an episode profiling billionaire Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Also in 1997, A&E released Biography audio tapes, and replaced its eight-year-old A&E Monthly magazine with Biography magazine. Circulation started at 100,000 in 1997 and grew for several years (to 270,000 by early 1998;{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1998/music/news/a-e-discs-its-biography-1117467782/ |title=A&E discs its 'Biography' |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=February 17, 1998 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113018/https://variety.com/1998/music/news/a-e-discs-its-biography-1117467782/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} 367,000 by mid-1998; 528,000 by 1999; and, 700,000 by 2001). Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Random House, began publishing a line of 200-page Biography paperbacks in 1997, beginning with books on Muhammad Ali, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/arts/television/15graves.html |title=Peter Graves, 'Mission: Impossible' Star, Dies at 83 |last1=Pollak |first1=Michael |date=March 14, 2010 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318042536/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/arts/television/15graves.html |archive-date=March 18, 2010 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2001/scene/news/a-e-pushes-bio-net-1117855067/ |title=A&E pushes Bio net |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=October 30, 2001 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113031/https://variety.com/2001/scene/news/a-e-pushes-bio-net-1117855067/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

For Hillary Clinton:

{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/biography-team-queries-first-lady-1116678160/ |title='Biography' team queries first lady |last1=Richmond |first1=Ray |date=May 21, 1997 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112756/https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/biography-team-queries-first-lady-1116678160/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

For books:

{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/a-e-signs-biography-books-111662115/ |title=A&E signs 'Biography' books |last1=Richmond |first1=Ray |date=November 18, 1997 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112840/https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/a-e-signs-biography-books-111662115/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

In 1998, Biography was airing twice a day, six days a week. The episode profiling Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, aired on three separate time slots on Sunday, June 21, 1998, became the show's highest-rated episode up to that point. A&E released Biography Movies, featuring subjects such as P.T. Barnum, Lillian Hellman, and Dashiell Hammett. Bill Kurtis hosted a spin-off show, Biography: American Justice, and a series of Biography record albums by artists who had been profiled on the show, including Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, and Lena Horne, was released by EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties. In November, A&E created a spin-off network called The Biography Channel (now Bio Channel/FYI) featuring historical figures and current political and social leaders.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/a-e-biography-spinoff-wins-malone-s-blessing-1117488113/ |title=A&E Biography spinoff wins Malone's blessing |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=November 4, 1998 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112842/https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/a-e-biography-spinoff-wins-malone-s-blessing-1117488113/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

File:Biography Channel (1999-2007) logo.svg

By 1999, Biography had profiled 600 people. It won its second Emmy Award (Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming) and was on television in some incarnation seven nights per week, including an "international-figure-personality-of-the-week," Biography International. That year's episode profiling Ron Howard was viewed in 3.5 million homes, becoming a new Biography record.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/howard-hot-on-biography-1117755544/ |title=Howard hot on 'Biography' |last1=Bierbaum |first1=Tom |date=September 10, 1999 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112956/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/howard-hot-on-biography-1117755544/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} Journalist Harry Smith (previously with CBS's This Morning) joined Biography as the primary host, though Peter Graves and Jack Perkins continued to appear on the show.For Harry Smith:

{{cite news |url=https://www.apnews.com/0b0090cfc20bb3601dcbb1ad68ad19f2 |title=Harry Smith Gets A&E Host Job |date=January 19, 1999 |work=AP News |access-date=November 14, 2018}}
{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/smith-to-host-biography-1117490380/ |title=Smith to host 'Biography' |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=January 19, 1999 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |quote=signature series |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112941/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/smith-to-host-biography-1117490380/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/smith-to-host-biography-1117490380/ |title=Smith to host 'Biography' |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=January 20, 1999 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112941/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/smith-to-host-biography-1117490380/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/harry-smith-joining-e-biography-article-1.829477 |title=HARRY SMITH JOINING A&E & 'BIOGRAPHY' |last1=Huff |first1=Richard |date=January 20, 1999 |work=NY Daily News |access-date=November 14, 2018|quote=most-watched show}}

By the end of the century, Biography had profiled over 800 people, and on October 1, 2000, A&E Networks expanded its British partnership with Sky UK with the launch of a UK market Biography Channel.{{cite news |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/news/a1182/sky-confirms-biography-channel.html |title=Sky confirms Biography Channel |last1=Wilkes |first1=Neil |date=September 22, 2000 |work=Digital Spy |access-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812225154/http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/news/a1182/sky-confirms-biography-channel.html |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

Biography{{'}}s ratings declined 15% from 2000 to 2001, and another 17% from 2001 to 2002, before increasing 6% in 2003. Despite the decrease in ratings, by 2002, Biography won its third Emmy Award (Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series), and marked its 1,000th profile.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2004/tv/features/biography-begins-new-chapter-1117899442/ |title='Biography' begins new chapter |last1=Stilson |first1=Janet |date=February 3, 2004 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112939/https://variety.com/2004/tv/features/biography-begins-new-chapter-1117899442/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

A&E responded to the ratings decline by changing Biography{{'}}s management personnel and launching a marketing campaign centering on photographs taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz of well-known subjects that had been profiled on Biography, including Jerry Seinfeld, Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2003/scene/markets-festivals/a-e-lights-fire-under-biography-1117888016/ |title=A&E lights fire under 'Biography' |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=June 17, 2003 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112937/https://variety.com/2003/scene/markets-festivals/a-e-lights-fire-under-biography-1117888016/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

{{blockquote

|text="We produced a show on the Green River Valley killer in a week," O'Hearn says. When Katharine Hepburn, John Ritter and Gregory Peck died, up-to-date shows about their lives were televised if not on the night they passed away, the following night.

|author=Variety

|source=quoting Biography Vice President Didi O'Hearn, 2002

}}

In 2002, host Harry Smith left to join CBS's The Early Show. A&E began reducing the number of nights Biography aired starting 2003, when Neil Ross became the show's final host, narrating episodes on Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-icon-mike-wallace-dies-at-93/3/ |title="60 Minutes" icon Mike Wallace dies at 93 |date=April 26, 2012 |work=CBS News |page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117070212/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-icon-mike-wallace-dies-at-93/3/ |archive-date=November 17, 2018 |access-date=November 16, 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Neil |title=Neil Ross Voiceover ("Biography" section) |url=http://www.neilross.com |website=www.neilross.com |access-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005071013/http://www.neilross.com/ |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The growth of Biography{{'}}s magazine circulation slowed in 2002 and declined 9% in 2003. In 2004, A&E scaled back Biography magazine from monthly to quarterly publication.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2003/tv/news/biography-mag-slows-to-quarterly-1117891901/ |title=Biography mag slows to quarterly |last1=LaPorte |first1=Nicole |date=September 4, 2003 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112734/https://variety.com/2003/tv/news/biography-mag-slows-to-quarterly-1117891901/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

By 2006, Ross had left the show and Biography was airing only once a week, usually on Friday nights with three back-to-back episodes. A&E removed Biography from its lineup in August, making new episodes of the show exclusively available on The Biography Channel. Its first year on The Biography Channel featured 64 hours of new programming, including episodes on the Onassis family, Jamie Oliver, Russell Simmons, George Lopez, Anthony Hopkins, Grace Slick, Elmore Leonard and Olivia Newton-John. The following year, The Biography Channel was rebranded "Bio." In 2008, Biography released a documentary, Johnny Cash's America, together with a companion DVD/CD package published by Legacy Recordings containing an unreleased recitation by the singer entitled "I Am the Nation."{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2006/scene/markets-festivals/biography-rewrite-1200338419/ |title='Biography' rewrite |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=June 4, 2006 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112816/https://variety.com/2006/scene/markets-festivals/biography-rewrite-1200338419/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2006/tv/news/biography-pens-next-chapter-1200338542/ |title=Biography pens next chapter |last1=Dempsey |first1=John |date=June 4, 2006 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112736/https://variety.com/2006/tv/news/biography-pens-next-chapter-1200338542/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

For Bio Channel:

{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-e-rebrands-bio-as-665036 |title=A+E Rebrands Bio as Lifestyle Network FYI |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |date=December 11, 2013 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=June 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219141805/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-e-rebrands-bio-as-665036 |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

For Johnny Cash:

{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2008/music/news/biography-offers-new-cash-doc-1117992870/ |title=Biography offers new Cash doc |agency=Associated Press |date=September 25, 2008 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112918/https://variety.com/2008/music/news/biography-offers-new-cash-doc-1117992870/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

File:The Biography Channel.svg

The last new episode aired in 2011, and the show ended its run in 2012. In 2014, A&E replaced its underperforming Bio channel with The FYI Network and partnered with digital publisher SAY Media. SAY Media began operating Biography.com, while A&E continued producing short-form videos for the website.For 2012 cancellation and 2017 relaunch:

{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/biography-revival-ordered-by-a-e-networks-987634 |title='Biography' Revival Ordered by A+E Networks |last1=Stanhope |first1=Kate |date=March 21, 2017 |work=Hollywood Reporter |access-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112950/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/biography-revival-ordered-by-a-e-networks-987634 |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/ae-networks-marks-its-return-to-the-upfronts-by-relaunching-the-biography-franchise/ |title=A+E Networks Marks Its Return to the Upfronts by Relaunching the Biography Franchise |last1=Lynch |first1=Jason |date=April 1, 2017 |work=Adweek |access-date=November 14, 2018 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115082954/https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/ae-networks-marks-its-return-to-the-upfronts-by-relaunching-the-biography-franchise/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/biography-ae-network-notorious-b-i-g-tupac-shakur-revival-1202012851/ |title='Biography' Franchise Returns as Event Programming Across A+E Networks Channels |last1=Littleton |first1=Cynthia |date=March 21, 2017 |work=Variety |access-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322091212/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/biography-ae-network-notorious-b-i-g-tupac-shakur-revival-1202012851/ |archive-date=March 22, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2017/03/biography-franchise-returns-ae-networks-1202047742/ |title='Biography' Franchise Returns To A+E Networks |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |date=March 21, 2017 |work=Deadline |access-date=November 14, 2018 |publisher=Penske Business Media |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104184305/https://deadline.com/2017/03/biography-franchise-returns-ae-networks-1202047742/ |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/ae-nonfiction-exits-scripted-programming-strategy-shift-1202077488/ |title=A&E Doubles Down On Nonfiction, Exits Scripted In Programming Strategy Shift |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |date=April 27, 2017 |work=Deadline |access-date=November 14, 2018 |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123131955/https://deadline.com/2017/04/ae-nonfiction-exits-scripted-programming-strategy-shift-1202077488/ |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
For SAY Media: {{cite news |url=https://adage.com/article/media/a-e-giving-media-control-bio-channel/291898/ |title=Bio Channel's Website to Outlive the TV Network |last1=Sebastian |first1=Michael |date=February 28, 2014 |work=Ad Age |access-date=November 14, 2018 |publisher=Crain Communications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115072043/https://adage.com/article/media/a-e-giving-media-control-bio-channel/291898/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

=2017 revival =

In 2017, A&E Networks relaunched the franchise with a set of two-hour specials and mini-series for three of its channels, A&E, History and Lifetime. Biography returned to A&E on June 28, 2017, with The Notorious Life of Biggie Smalls. A&E announced that it would produce up to 40 hours of new episodes as part of the relaunch, including features on John Gotti, Tupac Shakur, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Smart, Mike Tyson, and David Koresh.

Biography.com

In 1996, Biography launched a website called Biography.com with over 3,000 biographies of well-known people, based in Easton, Pennsylvania. Since 2023, Biography.com has been part of Hearst Magazines. Bill Strickland is the current editorial director, and Andrew Daniels is the news director.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-31 |title=About Biography.com: Editorial Policies, Contact Information, and Staff |url=https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Biography |language=en-US}}

Hosts

style="text-align:center;" class="floatright"

|+ Hosts of Biography, 1961–2006

|File:Mike Wallace 1968 (cropped).jpg

|File:David Janssen 1974 (cropped).JPG

|File:PeterGravesStarOct09 (cropped).jpg

1961–1963:
Mike Wallace

|1979:
David Janssen

|1987–1999:
Peter Graves

|File:Harry Smith (cropped) (cropped).jpg

|File:Neil Ross by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg

1994–1999:
Jack Perkins

|1999–2002:
Harry Smith

|2003–2006:
Neil Ross

The original, early 1960s syndicated Biography was narrated by Mike Wallace, who won his first Peabody Award on the show, and launched his journalism career. Wallace left in 1963 to join The CBS Morning News with Mike Wallace, and later, 60 Minutes.

Actor David Janssen hosted a short-lived 1979 revival of the show on CBS.{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J. |date=March 20, 1997 |title=Revered or Reviled in the Name of Biography |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/20/arts/revered-or-reviled-in-the-name-of-biography.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112821/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/20/arts/revered-or-reviled-in-the-name-of-biography.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018}}

Actor Peter Graves hosted Biography on A&E starting in 1987, and he was joined in 1994 by journalist Jack Perkins as an alternate host, when the show expanded from one night per week to five.

{{blockquote

|1=Where else could you find maybe on three successive nights the stories of Robert E. Lee, Gypsy Rose Lee and Bruce Lee?

|2=Host Harry Smith

|3=as quoted by The Hartford Courant, 2002

}}

In 1999, after reportedly trying without success to recruit Charlie Gibson (who was then leaving ABC's Good Morning America) to replace Graves and Perkins, A&E named journalist Harry Smith, previously with CBS's This Morning, as the primary host of Biography, although Graves and Perkins continued to have a role with the series.

Smith left in 2002 to join CBS's The Early Show, and was replaced by Neil Ross. Ross left in 2006, and A&E produced Biography as an unhosted show.

Subjects profiled

Biography has profiled over 1,000 subjects, ranging from "Moses to Mozart to Madonna," in the words of host Harry Smith, and as of 2018, Biography.com claims to contain over 7,000 biographical profiles on its website.{{cite web |url=https://www.biography.com/page/about |title=About Biography |website=Biography.com|access-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113233533/https://www.biography.com/page/about |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The most-watched episodes profiled Ron Howard, the Gambino crime family, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Andre the Giant, and Sam Walton.

Since its first broadcast in 1962, Biography has profiled:

Scientists: Carl Sagan, Howard Carter
Serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer, The Boston Strangler
Authors: Ernest Hemingway
Athletes: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson
Magicians: Harry Houdini
Entertainers: Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, Lena Horne, Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Sophia Loren, Edward G. Robinson, Elizabeth Taylor, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Douglas, Kathie Lee Gifford, Tom Hanks, Shari Lewis, Paul Newman, Nick Nolte, Jane Fonda, Anthony Perkins
Musicians: Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye
Martial artists: Bruce Lee
Revolutionaries: Che Guevara,{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/a-e-kicks-off-promotion-for-familiar-biography-subjects-1116675536/ |title=A&E kicks off promotion for familiar 'Biography' subjects |author=Variety Staff |date=July 30, 1997 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112913/https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/a-e-kicks-off-promotion-for-familiar-biography-subjects-1116675536/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} Vladimir Lenin
Businesspeople: J.C. Penney, the Woolworth family, Barbara Hutton
Professional wrestlers: Andre the Giant, The Rock
Comedians: Ernie Kovacs, Jonathan Winters
Contemporary political leaders: Winston Churchill Bill Clinton, Charles de Gaulle, Al Gore, John McCain, Nancy Reagan
Historical figures, ancient: Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Columbus and more recent: Gandhi, Chiang Kai-shek, Rosa Parks, Oskar Schindler
Fictional characters: Lamb Chop,{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/biography-shari-lewis-and-lamb-chop-1200439640/ |title=Biography Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop |last1=Sandler |first1=Adam |date=December 21, 1994 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113020/https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/biography-shari-lewis-and-lamb-chop-1200439640/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} Catwoman
Filmmakers: Howard Hughes,{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/biography-howard-hughes-1200430151/ |title=Biography: Howard Hughes |last1=Scott |first1=Tony |date=June 2, 1992 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112958/https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/biography-howard-hughes-1200430151/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} George Lucas,{{Cite web |last=Rees |first=S. |date=2002-11-19 |title=George Lucas: Creating an Empire |url=https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/george-lucas-creating-an-empire |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=videolibrarian.com |language=en-us}} Steven Spielberg
"Pioneers of the space program"
Celebrities: Prince Andrew, Princess Diana, Monica Lewinsky
Religious and mystical figures: Jesus Christ, Satan, Nostradamus
Lawyers: Ken Starr

Reception

File:1962 Wallace Peabody.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117065929/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/biography |archive-date=November 17, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=November 16, 2018}}]]

Biography has been described as "an undisputed phenom," "one of cable television's most respected programs," "one of the most popular series on cable TV," "the belle of the Nielsen ball," and "the most pervasive series of history films found in classroom libraries." It has been called A&E's "flagship series", "signature series," "strongest brand," and "most-watched show." In 2002, a writer for The Hartford Courant asked, "Is there anybody who doesn't like, or at the very least hasn't stopped to watch, A&E's Biography?"

Biography has won a Peabody Award and three Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Awards (Emmy) Awards: Outstanding Informational Series in 1997, Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming in 1999, and Outstanding Informational Series in 2002. The show has been nominated for 16 other Emmy Awards: The Presidents Award (1996–1997), Outstanding Informational Series (1996), Outstanding Individual Achievement Informational Programming (1997), Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series (1998–2000, 2003–09, 2011), Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming (1999), and Outstanding Informational Series (2001).{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/news/hall-fame/david-l-wolper-hall-fame-tribute |title=David L. Wolper: Hall of Fame Tribute |last1=Link |first1=Tom |date=November 13, 2017 |website=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117070203/https://www.emmys.com/news/hall-fame/david-l-wolper-hall-fame-tribute |archive-date=November 17, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=November 16, 2018}}

Not all reviews have been positive. The same Hartford Courant writer criticized the early 1960s version of the show for focusing on "great men". A writer for The New York Times described Biography as "skipping easily, and often superficially" from one subject to the next. Variety has reviewed some episodes as "disappointingly routine...marred by errors and omissions," and "suffer[ing] tunnel vision."{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/reviews/biography-stan-lee-the-comix-man-1200444001/ |title=Biography Stan Lee: The Comix-Man |last1=Horst |first1=Carole |date=December 22, 1995 |work=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112858/https://variety.com/1995/tv/reviews/biography-stan-lee-the-comix-man-1200444001/ |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} An episode on Fidel Castro was criticized as having "a distinct anti-Castro edge by Mike Wallace." The Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library includes a copy of a 1962 Biography episode featuring Eisenhower with the notation, "There are some simplifications of facts and condensation of events." A 2018 Salt Lake Tribune TV critic wrote "the producers of Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil should have been more careful" to avoid confusing the LDS Church with the FLDS Church "through careless editing."{{cite news |url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/tv/2018/02/18/aes-biography-of-polygamist-leader-warren-jeffs-confuses-flds-with-lds/ |title=A&E's biography of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs confuses FLDS with LDS |last=Pierce |first=Scott D. |date=February 19, 2018 |work=Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118164512/https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/tv/2018/02/18/aes-biography-of-polygamist-leader-warren-jeffs-confuses-flds-with-lds/ |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

{{blockquote

|text=BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 1962...39th edition of CBS biography series. Follows Eisenhower from birth to 1962. There are some simplifications of facts and condensation of events. Does contain unique WWII film footage. Narrated by Mike Wallace.

|source=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Archives entry for 1962 Biography episode{{cite web |title=Audiovisual Dept. Motion Picture Film EL-MP16-372 BIOGRAPHY: DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 1962 |url=https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/audiovisual/av_finding_aids/film_video/16mm_film_list.pdf |publisher=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library |access-date=2018-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207230929/https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/Research/audiovisual/av_finding_aids/film_video/16mm_film_list.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

}}

In 2002, the American Library Association wrote that Biography.com is an "extensive site" and "the perfect source for anyone looking for background or historical and biographical information."{{cite web |url=http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/mars/marspubs/marsbestfreewebsites/marsbestref2002 |title=MARSBestRef2002 |date=December 14, 2006 |website=American Library Association|access-date=November 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113011/http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/mars/marspubs/marsbestfreewebsites/marsbestref2002 |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} In 2009, Biography.com was named a "Ten Best Reference Website" by The Sunday Times.{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-100-tech/hardware-profile/article/the-ten-best-reference-websites-x663dtbxpm3 |title=The ten best reference websites |last1=Peake |first1=Mike |date=September 20, 2009 |work=The Sunday Times |access-date=November 14, 2018}} Biography.com has been cited as a source by The New York Times,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/19/crosswords/CROSSWORDS-sports-names.html |title=10 Sports Names That Will Help You Become a Better Crossword Solver |last1=Amlen |first1=Deb |date=April 19, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112731/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/19/crosswords/CROSSWORDS-sports-names.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The Washington Post,{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/17/yes-donald-trump-really-went-to-an-ivy-league-school/ |title=Yes, Donald Trump really went to an Ivy League school |last1=Strauss |first1=Valerie |date=July 17, 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214214254/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/17/yes-donald-trump-really-went-to-an-ivy-league-school/ |archive-date=December 14, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The Los Angeles Times,For example:

{{cite news |last1=Yamada |first1=Katherine |date=November 5, 2014 |title=Verdugo Views: Guests at sanitarium each had a story to tell |url=https://www.latimes.com/tn-gnp-verdugo-views-guests-at-sanitarium-each-had-a-story-to-tell-20141105-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112829/http://www.latimes.com/tn-gnp-verdugo-views-guests-at-sanitarium-each-had-a-story-to-tell-20141105-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |last1=Simmons |first1=Ann M. |date=June 7, 2016 |title=Clinton is set to make history, but female leaders are nothing new in other parts of the world |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-women-leaders-0607-snap-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112849/http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-women-leaders-0607-snap-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/sfl-castro-timeline-story.html |title=Fidel Castro: key dates in a life that defined modern Cuba |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112911/http://www.latimes.com/sfl-castro-timeline-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} The Chicago Tribune,For example:
{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-muhammad-ali-life-timeline-htmlstory.html |title=The life of Muhammad Ali |last1=Skrbina |first1=Paul |date=June 4, 2016 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112820/https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-muhammad-ali-life-timeline-htmlstory.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-perspec-0808-things-20100806-story.html |title=Part 4: 10 things you might not know about Chicago's northern suburbs |last1=Benzkofer |first1=Mark Jacob and Stephan |date=August 7, 2010 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115153939/https://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-perspec-0808-things-20100806-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The Columbus Dispatch,{{cite news |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20180104/almost-century-after-release-monster-movies-still-deliver-jolts |title=Almost a century after release, monster movies still deliver jolts |last1=Mikesell |first1=Terry |date=January 4, 2018 |work=Columbus Dispatch |access-date=November 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112945/https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20180104/almost-century-after-release-monster-movies-still-deliver-jolts |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} The Boston Globe,For example:
{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/03/25/cold-hard-facts-and-figures-about-world-figure-skating-championships/FjYU8k8rEpAlkPtOxcpuDJ/story.html |title=Cold, hard facts and figures about the World Figure Skating Championships |last1=Voorhees |first1=Corlyn |date=March 26, 2016 |work=The Boston Globe |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112954/https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/03/25/cold-hard-facts-and-figures-about-world-figure-skating-championships/FjYU8k8rEpAlkPtOxcpuDJ/story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/05/20/ralph-waldo-emerson-numbers/xuyZ5xJNjr8BPRSgUm3m5I/story.html |title=Ralph Waldo Emerson, by the numbers |last1=Voorhees |first1=Corlyn |date=May 21, 2016 |work=The Boston Globe |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113013/https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/05/20/ralph-waldo-emerson-numbers/xuyZ5xJNjr8BPRSgUm3m5I/story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/10/28/massachusetts-women-through-history-who-broke-glass-ceiling/Ii9qOxdNX0fL6Kr4a9F8EI/story.html |title=10 Massachusetts women through history who broke the glass ceiling |last1=Dellatto |first1=Marisa |date=October 28, 2016 |work=The Boston Globe |access-date=November 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113011/https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/10/28/massachusetts-women-through-history-who-broke-glass-ceiling/Ii9qOxdNX0fL6Kr4a9F8EI/story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}} and NPR.For example:
{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/05/04/135985017/native-americans-offended-by-codename-geronimo-in-bin-laden-mission |title=Native Americans Offended By Code Name 'Geronimo' In Bin Laden Mission |last1=Memmott |first1=Mark |date=May 4, 2011 |publisher=NPR |access-date=November 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112817/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/05/04/135985017/native-americans-offended-by-codename-geronimo-in-bin-laden-mission |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/07/22/204548980/law-and-order-actor-dennis-farina-dies |title='Law And Order' Actor Dennis Farina Dies |last1=Peralta |first1=Eyder |date=July 22, 2013 |work=NPR |access-date=November 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112759/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/07/22/204548980/law-and-order-actor-dennis-farina-dies |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/27/366997584/british-mystery-novelist-p-d-james-dies-at-94 |title=British Mystery Novelist P.D. James Dies At 94 |last1=Neuman |first1=Scott |date=November 27, 2014 |work=NPR |access-date=November 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112854/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/27/366997584/british-mystery-novelist-p-d-james-dies-at-94 |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

In popular culture

Biography has been a category on the television game show Jeopardy!. In 2000, the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! did an episode called "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn". The episode was shot in the style of A&E's Biography, and focused on the life of one of the show's main characters, Nina Van Horn. The episode featured interviews with the other characters of the show and multiple special guest stars, including Don Henley, Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and Buddy Hackett. The episode also included an introduction, conclusion, and voiceover provided by then-host Harry Smith.{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/just-shoot-me/episode-23-season-4/a-e-biography-nina-van-horn/100235/ |title=Just Shoot Me |website=TV Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025190346/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/just-shoot-me/episode-23-season-4/a-e-biography-nina-van-horn/100235/ |archive-date=October 25, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

References

External links

[https://www.biography.com/ Official website]
{{IMDb title|id=0054520|title=Biography|description=(1961–1964)}}
{{IMDb title|id=0078574|title=Biography|description=(1979)}}
{{IMDb title|id=0092322|title=Biography|description=(1987–present)}}
[https://www.ranker.com/list/full-list-of-biography-episodes/reference Ranker.com's list of Biography episodes]
[http://www.davidlwolper.com/shows/details.cfm?showID=47 Database of 1962–64 Biography episodes] at [http://www.davidlwolper.com/ David Wolper's website]

{{Navboxes

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{{Producers Guild of America Award for Best Non-Fiction Television}}

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Category:The Biography Channel shows

Category:1962 American television series debuts

Category:1964 American television series endings

Category:1987 American television series debuts

Category:2003 American television series endings

Category:1980s American documentary television series

Category:1990s American documentary television series