Alistair Cooke

For the British peer, see Alistair Cooke, Baron Lexden. For the British diplomat, see Alastair Crooke. For the English cricketer, see Alastair Cook.

Alistair Cooke
Cooke during an interview in 1974
Born
Alfred Cooke

(1908-11-20)20 November 1908
Salford, Lancashire, England
Died30 March 2004(2004-03-30) (aged 95)
New York City, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom (until 1941)
  • United States (from 1941)
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • broadcaster
Notable credits
Spouses
  • Ruth Emerson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1934; div. 1944)​
  • ​
    (m. 1946)​
Children2, including John Byrne
AwardsHonorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Alistair Cooke (born Alfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the United States.[1] Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and America: A Personal History of the United States, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1992. After holding the job for 22 years, and having worked in television for 42 years, Cooke retired in 1992, although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly before his death. He was the father of author and folk singer John Byrne Cooke.

  1. ^ George Perry Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine "The War at Home: Near Filed 60 Years Later", American Heritage, Aug./Sept. 2006.