Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.
Creators
David L. WolperAgnes Nixon
Released
Apr 06, 1987
Countries
United States, United Kingdom
Productions
Towers ProductionsDeparture FilmsAtlas MediaActuality ProductionsFoxstar ProductionsWorking Dog Productions+12
He made the automobile accessible to the common man. The common man made him rich. Henry Ford was one of the great innovators of our time. When the car he invented became so popular he couldn't build them fast enough he came up with the modern assembly plant to meet demand. The rest is history. BIOGRAPHY profiles the life of the industrial giant who earned notoriety for his intolerance as well as his inventiveness. Interviews with former workers and family members point out his genius and eccentricities while automotive historians trace his monumental career from his first hand-built car to saving his company with the introduction of the V-8 at an age when most men are long retired. This is the fascinating story of the driven man who changed the way we all live ironically spelling an end to the America he loved.
A video tribute to a martial arts legend, Bruce Lee. Examined are his early years in Hong Kong and his journey to Hollywood, his role of Kato on the TV series 'The Green Hornet', and his years as the martial arts instructor to the stars. Lee's spectacular rise to super stardom through his Kung Fu films is detailed, with a revealing look at both the on-screen action and behind the scenes controversy. Celebrity interviews include actor James Coburn talking about Lee as a teacher and collaborator, and actress Diane McBain on Lee's Kato years. Lee's successors in martial arts cinema are profiled, and theories offered about mysterious deaths of Bruce Lee and his son Brandon. Plus rare footage and more! Although his life was cut short at the age of 32, Bruce Lee-- through his movies and his teachings-- will forever be remembered as the Immortal Dragon!
The biography details Sid Caesar's rise to television superstardom as the creative force behind legendary 1950s variety programs like Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. It highlights the unmatched comedic talent that Sid Caesar surrounded himself with, featuring contributions and reflections from iconic writers and co-stars such as Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen. The program analyzes how his frantic sketch comedy, physical humor, and smart satire laid the foundational blueprint for future sketch shows like Saturday Night Live.
Follows John D. Rockefeller's ruthless and focused pursuit to control the oil refining industry through Standard Oil, making him the world's first billionaire. Examines how he avoided personal excess and passed down a tradition of giving. Looks at how his son and later generations dedicated their lives to charitable foundations and public works funded by the family fortune.
Countless books, documentaries, and even dramatized accounts have centered on America's royalty, the Kennedys of Massachusetts. No stone has gone unturned in the media's fervent examination of this fascinating family. But the youngest Kennedy, Ted, has often been dismissed as living in the proverbial shadows of his brothers. This Biography carefully and thoughtfully documents his intriguing life, the scandals and the redemption, the tragedies and the triumphs.
Files and footage from the archives of the U.S. Naval Institute highlight this profile of the military genius who prepared America's forces for World War II.
Documentary about Harry Houdini (1874-1926) which includes on camera appearances by Patrick Culliton, Penn and Teller, and Houdini's last living assistant, Dorothy Young.
From his days on top of the world in the glitzy eighties to his decline and remarkable rebirth, chronicle the astonishing life of the modern Midas whose name is synonymous with wealth.
Here's Willie Nelson's official, authorized biography! "Willie Nelson: My Life" is the close-up portrait of America's favorite singer/songwriter, from the days he sold one of his early hits, Family Bible, for $50 to buy milk for his children through his long struggle to superstardom. Included are frank and sometimes humorous interviews with Willie and his friends Ray Charles (who duets with Wilie on the song "Seven Spanish Angels"), Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Sydney Pollack, Gary Busey, Mel Tillis, Ray Price, Jerry Jeff Walker and others.
Patsy Cline died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. Now, her musical legacy lives on in Remembering Patsy. This heartfelt celebration features 17 great Patsy Cline songs, and 10 rare television appearances, recently discovered and never before seen on video. You'll meet Patsy through her intimate home movies, her personal letters, as read by Arista recording artist Michele Wright, and the fond reminiscences of Patsy's husband, Charlie Dick, and Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Mel Tillis, Roy Clark, Eddy Arnold, Bill Anderson and Jan Howard. A new generation of stars including Trisha Yearwood, k.d. lang, Ronna Reeves, Lisa Stewart, and Marsha Thorntorn, add insight into Patsy's influence and proof positive that Patsy Cline does live on in her music.
One of this century's most respected and admired figures, she was a humanitarian who transformed the place of women in society, and in the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt created the tradition of the activist First Lady. A pioneer among Presidents' wives, she formed a staff, held press conferences, and defined an agenda beyond that of homemaker. She fought for Civil Rights, for women and the oppressed. Yet this towering public figure was also an orphan whose family was destroyed by alcoholism, the unhappy wife of a philandering husband, and a passionate friend. Experts and scholars finally succeed in connecting her public and private lives in this unique and intimate portrait. Revisit the complete, inspiring life story of Eleanor Roosevelt, champion of freedom and human dignity.
Descend into the dark world and tragic life of the melancholy author who is the uncontested master of the macabre, and hear excerpts from his famous works.
A look at the life and career of actor/director Clint Eastwood, including scenes from his past film and television work and interviews with friends, fellow actors and crew members who have worked with him over the years.
For six decades, the Three Stooges ran amuck in a riotous frenzy of eye-poking, ear-slapping, kicks, jabs, punches and frying pans to the cranium. Now Laughsmith Entertainment and A&E offer fans of the Moronic Maestros a chance to relive the Golden Age of Stoogery. Through rare recordings, exclusive interviews and outtakes of behind-the-scenes antics, "Stooges: The Men behind the Mayhem" tells the pure, uncensored Stooge story--from the early vaudeville years with Shemp and Ted Healy, through the golden years at Columbia Pictures with Curly, to the final feature films with Curly Joe DeRita, "the last Stooge." Whether you're fascinated by the unrestrained id, or just enjoy the good, clean humor of pliers applied to the nose, you'll find something to love in this in-depth look at America's most beloved madcaps The Three Stooges!
A portrait of "Old Hickory," President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), from his Tennessee law days through his military career to his tenure as the seventh U.S. President. Included: interviews with historians. Monte Markham is the narrator.
