Biography (TV program)

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Biography
Genre	Documentary
Created by	David L. Wolper
Presented by	Mike Wallace (1961–1963) David Janssen (1979) Peter Graves (1987–1999) Jack Perkins (1994–1999) Harry Smith (1999–2002) Neil Ross (2003–2006)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Running time	30/60/120 minutes
Production companies	Wolper Productions (1961–1963, 1979) ABC News Productions[1]
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	February 1962 (1962-02) – 1964 (1964)
Release	1979 (1979)
Network	A&E (1987–2006) The Biography Channel/Bio/FYI (2006–2012)
Release	April 6, 1987 (1987-04-06) – 2012 (2012)
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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.