Biography

Biography is a documentary television series that began as a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964, with Mike Wallace as host. The A&E Network later re-aired the series and has produced new episodes since 1987. The original version focused on historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, as well as long-dead entertainment personalities like Will Rogers and John Barrymore. The A&E series shifted its focus to figures such 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, as well as fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. Due to the number of subjects covered, A&E spun off the series into a dedicated network in 1999, The Biography Channel.