7.0
Biography (1987)
6.7 27 seasons 355 episodes Returning Series
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.
Seasons & episodes
E1Larry Flynt: Fighting DirtyJan 15, 1997 · 1h 0m
From bootlegger to convict, to millionaire pornographer, to born-again Christian, to paraplegic gunshot-victim, Larry Flynt's life so far h…
E2Al Lewis: Forever GrandpaJan 6, 2000 · 1h 0m
Celebrate the life and career of the larger‑than‑life character actor best known as the lovable, sharp‑tongued Grandpa Munster. The episode…
E3Jimmy Hoffa: The Man Behind the MysteryJan 12, 2000 · 1h 0m
From the first boycott he organized in 1933 to his rise through the ranks of the Teamsters union, Jimmy Hoffa was a visionary labor leader…
E4John J. Pershing: The Iron GeneralJan 13, 2000 · 1h 0m
Explore the life of the disciplined, determined commander who helped shape America’s modern military identity. The episode traces Pershing’…
E5John Steinbeck: An American WriterJan 19, 2000 · 1h 0m
Trace the life of the novelist whose compassionate eye and unflinching honesty made him one of the defining voices of 20th‑century America.…
E6Mary Magdalene: The Hidden ApostleJan 20, 2000 · 1h 0m
Explore the life and legacy of one of the most compelling and debated figures in Christian history. The episode traces Mary’s journey from…
E7Pol Pot: Secret KillerJan 26, 2000 · 1h 0m
He was a privileged youth who was drawn to Communism in France during the '50s. When he returned to his own country he led a violent brutal…
E8Sally Hemings: Redefining HistoryJan 27, 2000 · 1h 0m
Examine the life of the enslaved woman whose story has reshaped our understanding of Thomas Jefferson and early America. The episode traces…
E9Stonewall JacksonFeb 2, 2000 · 1h 0m
He put forth a brave face at Bull Run and led some of the most remarkable campaigns of the Civil War, and now the life of the man frequentl…
E10Yvonne De Carlo: Gilded LilyFeb 3, 2000 · 1h 0m
Trace the life of the glamorous, resilient actress who moved effortlessly between Hollywood spectacle and television fame. The episode foll…
E11Enzo Ferrari: Passion for SpeedJan 4, 2001 · 1h 0m
Chronicles the life of the driven, uncompromising visionary who built one of the most legendary names in automotive history. The episode tr…
E12Genovese: Portrait of a Crime FamilyJan 10, 2001 · 1h 0m
Examine the rise, power, and enduring influence of one of the most formidable organizations in American organized crime. The episode traces…
E13George Lucas: Creating an EmpireJan 11, 2001 · 1h 0m
Trace the journey of the filmmaker whose imagination reshaped modern storytelling and revolutionized the movie industry. The episode follow…
E14Henry Hill: GoodfellaJan 17, 2001 · 1h 0m
Recount the turbulent life of the mob associate whose insider perspective later became the backbone of one of America’s most famous crime s…
E15Calamity JaneJan 3, 2002 · 1h 0m
Explore the life of the fearless, free‑spirited frontierswoman who became one of the most colorful legends of the American West. The episod…
E16Donald Rumsfeld: Top GunJan 9, 2002 · 1h 0m
When appointed to Secretary of Defense at age 68, many critics claimed he was too old. Opinions changed after 9/11 when the tough‑minded le…
E17General George Patton: A Genius for WarJan 10, 2002 · 1h 0m
General George S. Patton was a walking, talking, fighting machine whose personality was bigger and noisier than one of his Sherman tanks. H…
E18Hitler and Stalin: Roots of EvilJan 16, 2002 · 1h 0m
Hitler and Stalin: Roots of Evil delves into the parallel rise of two of history’s most ruthless dictators and the ideologies that plunged…
E19Home Improvement: A Half-Hour of PowerJan 17, 2002 · 1h 0m
Take a look back at the hit sitcom that turned suburban chaos, DIY mishaps, and over‑the‑top masculinity into one of the 1990s’ most belove…
E20John & Abigail Adams: Love and LibertyJan 23, 2002 · 1h 0m
Theirs was one of the greatest political partnerships in American history. When John Adams and Abigail Smith married on October 25, 1764, t…
E21Joseph Stalin: Red TerrorJan 24, 2002 · 1h 0m
Examine the brutal reign of the Soviet dictator whose quest for absolute power transformed his nation into a state ruled by fear. The episo…
E22Lewis & Clark: Explorers of the New FrontierJan 30, 2002 · 1h 0m
Recount the epic journey that opened the American West and defined an era of discovery. The episode follows Meriwether Lewis and William Cl…
E23Mahatma Gandhi: Pilgrim of PeaceJan 31, 2002 · 1h 0m
Trace the life of the leader whose philosophy of nonviolent resistance reshaped global movements for justice and freedom. The episode follo…
E24Mark Twain: His Amazing AdventuresFeb 6, 2002 · 1h 0m
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, the man who came to be known as Mark Twain was a true American original, a gifted and irreverent sto…
E25Osama Bin Laden: In the Name of AllahFeb 7, 2002 · 1h 0m
Examine the life and radicalization of the man responsible for leading al‑Qaeda, a violent extremist organization responsible for mass casu…
E26Pablo Escobar: The Terror of ColumbiaFeb 13, 2002 · 1h 0m
Chronicle the rise and reign of the drug lord whose violent empire left an indelible scar on his nation. The episode traces Escobar’s begin…
E27RFK: His Many SidesFeb 14, 2002 · 1h 0m
A man who believed that we could be better than ourselves, he was on his way to becoming a great leader-but on June 5th, 1968, his life was…
E28Ronald Reagan: The Role of a LifetimeFeb 20, 2002 · 1h 0m
He went from B-movies to the Oval Office. One of the most controversial presidents in history, he changed the nation more radically than an…
E29The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules VerneFeb 21, 2002 · 1h 0m
He traveled to the moon, under the sea and to the center of the earth all without leaving his desk. His vivid imagination created some of t…
E30The Manson Women: An American NightmareFeb 27, 2002 · 1h 0m
The disturbing story of the young women who fell under the spell of Charles Manson and became central figures in one of the most infamous c…
E31Saturday Night LiveApr 22, 2002 · 1h 0m
Saturday Night Live charts the creation and evolution of the groundbreaking late‑night institution that reshaped American comedy. The episo…
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