Biography (1987)

Regarded as one of this century’s great Presidents, he oversaw America’s post‑war emergence as a dominant world power—yet Harry Truman was…

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.…

Her name is synonymous with mystery, seduction, betrayal and duplicity. Yet her fate at the hands of a French execution squad may have been…

He risked everything to free his nation. Now venture into the incredible life and legacy of Paul Revere, the master silversmith who forever…

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 Ka…

The biography details Sid Caesar's rise to television superstardom as the creative force behind legendary 1950s variety programs like Your…

Follows John D. Rockefeller's ruthless and focused pursuit to control the oil refining industry through Standard Oil, making him the world'…

Countless books, documentaries, and even dramatized accounts have centered on America's royalty, the Kennedys of Massachusetts. No stone ha…

He took a nation of raw recruits and turned them into the finest fighting force in history: The United States Army of World War II. When Pe…

Her story is well-known - the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest…

An expert contortionist and master of illusion, he could escape from any cuff, vault or restraint—but could he evade the shackles of death…

The life, military career, and presidency of George Washington—tracing his path from a privileged youth, surveyor, and Virginia farmer to B…

Portrait of the teacher who died in the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Follows her journey from a classroom teac…

Explores their early days running a print shop and a bicycle repair and manufacturing business in Dayton, Ohio. Details their path from stu…

We learn about Roddenberry's early life, service as a World War II Army Air Corps pilot, and tenure as an L.A. Police Department officer. W…

He was the poster-boy for the excess and glitz of the '80s. When the economy took a turn for the worse, experts assumed that his time at th…

Frank Capra's rise to fame as one of early Hollywood's most acclaimed directors. We learn about his birth in Bisacquino, Sicily, his arriva…

For over 150 years, his legacy has been immortalized in literature, song, and cinema. While master hunter Davy Crockett is perhaps best kno…

In a time of innocence, his straightforward cowboy manner made him and his horse American icons. At the height of his fame, Roy Rogers was…

Here's Willie Nelson's official, authorized biography! "Willie Nelson: My Life" is the close-up portrait of America's favorite singer/songw…

Patsy Cline died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. Now, her musical legacy lives on in Remembering Patsy. This heartfelt celebration featu…

The program traces his life story, starting from his difficult childhood and runaway youth to his rise as a Vaudeville juggling sensation,…

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…

He is perhaps the greatest sports hero in American history. George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr., was more than just a ballplayer—he was a belove…

Pope John Paul II stood as the most popular pontiff in history, a spiritual compass to almost a billion Catholics worldwide, and a powerful…

She created a new kind of screen heroine, a liberated woman in a world dominated by men, and rose to be recognized as "first lady of the Am…

She was the first person cast on Saturday Night Live, and arguably the most beloved. Her memorable characters—helped establish the show as…

He was America's ambassador to the world, a unique individual who came to symbolize the inventiveness and industriousness of an entire nati…

He came from the streets of Brooklyn and went on to dominate the heavyweight boxing world like no one since Muhammad Ali. In this in-depth…

Explore the life of the Renaissance genius whose vision and skill forever transformed art, architecture, and sculpture. The episode traces…

Descend into the dark world and tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe, the melancholy author who is the uncontested master of the macabre, and hea…

Ancient art and period accounts, along with commentary from the world's leading Egyptologists brings the fabled story of Cleopatra to life.…

Acclaimed concert pianist Van Cliburn opens up to documentary filmmakers in this release that offers an intimate look at Cliburn's life and…

In the darkest days of World War II, he exhorted his troops to "Hit hard. Hit fast. Hit often." Once the American Navy was ready to fight,…

He was weak, frail, unable to walk, yet he marched the nation to victory in the greatest conflict in world history. Much of Franklin Delano…

He was the last Japanese ruler to uphold the Shinto idea of imperial divinity. His rule saw his nation transformed from an ancient society…

A look at the life and career of actor/director Clint Eastwood, including scenes from his past film and television work and interviews with…

He breaks into houses uninvited—yet he comes to give. Almost as old as Christianity itself, Santa Claus is one of history’s most beloved fi…

For over 40 years, ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her sassy hand puppet Lamb Chop were the most beloved team in children's television. Toget…

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 c…

He was one of the fastest-rising politicians in the country when he was suddenly stricken with polio. Although the debilitating disease rob…

Traces the life of Andrew Carnegie, who went from being a poor Scottish immigrant to a fabled man of wealth. Carnegie built a fortune by am…

A portrait of "Old Hickory," President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), from his Tennessee law days through his military career to his tenure as…

The program tracks the legendary journey of Aristotle Onassis, from his origins as a penniless war refugee to his transformation into a mul…

He commanded one of the most feared armies of antiquity, sweeping across Europe in an orgy of destruction and conquest. But the legendary c…

The American Revolution bred many heroes whose courage and leadership on the battlefield helped win independence. But one of America's grea…

Born to a life of obscurity and dark despair, his genius made him one of the most successful and beloved figures of his time. International…

Charles Manson: Journey Into Evil offers a sobering analysis of the life and beliefs of the infamous murderer and cult leader Charles Manso…

He has been king and slave, hero and villain, renowned throughout the movie-going world for the heroic figures he played during his early y…

He was determined to find a western route to Asia but wound up discovering the New World. But despite his accomplishments, he died a broken…

Crazy Horse was a legendary war leader of the Oglala Lakota who dedicated his life to defending Native American territory and culture from…

Daniel Boone (1734–1820) was an American frontiersman whose exploration of Kentucky made him one of the earliest U.S. folk heroes. He blaze…

Genghis Khan is one of the giants of world history. Yet few know the exact details of what made this great military and political genius so…

He was rushed into action in the Civil War after graduating last in his class at West Point. He earned a permanent place in American folklo…

Josef Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda, was one of the first public figures to recognize the value of mass entertainment to political…

In classic novels like The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man, he practically invented science fiction. But those se…

He is mythology's greatest and most celebrated hero, a towering figure whose name is synonymous with strength itself. The son of a mortal w…

No one captures the American imagination quite like the Kingfish. We trace Huey Long's spectacular career from the 1920s, bursting out of L…

Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer who terrorized the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The kill…

He was one of America’s most notorious Depression-era bank robbers. Biography chronicles how John Dillinger escaped a quiet, rural upbringi…

He was the most popular actor of his day. And with a single shot, he transformed the course of American history. John Wilkes Booth earned a…

Lee Harvey Oswald was a former U.S. Marine who assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Oswald h…

The tale had been kept alive for generations but the intriguing story of Vinland seemed more legendary than true. But a landmark discovery…

His was the angry voice of a people kept silent for centuries. And at the height of his power, his outspoken independence led to his assass…

Marco Polo had a strong case of wanderlust; when he set out from his Venetian home to explore the East, he did not return for 20 years. Thi…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an extraordinarily influential Austrian composer of the Classical era. Born in Salzburg, he displayed prodigiou…

Nostradamus (born Michel de Nostredame) was a prominent French astrologer, physician, and reputed seer of the Renaissance. Educated in medi…

He is remembered for seven words: "Give me liberty of give me death." More than any other founding father he represented the power of the o…

He was one of the first and most famous of a breed of men who would carve out an empire in the New World. His name is forever linked to the…

He first appeared in 1887. His stories have enthralled millions of people ever since. Sherlock Holmes is among the most enduring fictional…

One of the last great leaders of the Native American Resistance, Sitting Bull earned his place in history with his stunning victory in the…

Her tireless pioneering efforts helped found America’s first civil rights movement and blazed a trail for countless others to follow. Many…

The program dives deep into the patriarch's ruthless pursuit of wealth, his five failed marriages, and the strained, cold relationships he…

They were disenchanted rebel soldiers who turned to a life of crime. Their exploits earned them a place in American folklore. The James Gan…

Manfred von Richthofen, the legendary German World War I fighter ace credited with 80 confirmed aerial victories. Rare historical combat fo…

They were arguably the most powerful family in America. But the dynasty dissolved in a frenzy of excess, backbiting and sexual indiscretion…

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, a visionary statesman, naturalist, and soldier. Overcoming severe childhood…

Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and the third President of the United States (1801–18…

Over 20 women lent their voices to the Japanese propaganda effort in WWII. Though there was never a program or a character by that name, th…

Step back into the American Old West with Biography: Wild Bill Hickok: Gentleman of the Old West. This compelling documentary delves into t…

Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli politician, statesman, and general who twice served as Prime Minister of Israel (1974–1977 and 1992–1995). Rab…