America usually refers to either:

The Americas, a landmass comprising North America and South America

The United States of America, a country in North America

America may also refer to:

Other locations

América, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

America, Limburg, Netherlands

América, Tamaulipas, Mexico

America, Illinois, U.S.

America, Oklahoma, U.S.

Astronomy

916 America, a minor planet

Film and television

''America'' (1924 film), a film by D. W. Griffith

''America'' (2009 film), an American made-for-television film

''America'' (2011 film), a 2011 Puerto Rican film

''America: Freedom to Fascism'', a 2006 documentary

''América'' (TV series), a Brazilian telenovela

''America'' (US TV series), a syndicated afternoon talk show

''Amreeka'', a 2009 film (Amreeka the Arabic pronunciation for America)

''America America'', an American film by Elia Kazan

''America: A Personal History of the United States'', a 13-part BBC television documentary series

''America: The Story of Us'', a six-part, 12-hour television documentary depicting the history of the United States

Literature

''America'' (novel), a young adult novel by E. R. Frank

"America" (''Judge Dredd'' story), a story by John Wagner

"America" (poem), a poem by Allen Ginsberg

''America (The Book)'', a book written by the staff of ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''

"America" (short story), by Orson Scott Card

''America'', a Jake Grafton novel by Stephen Coonts

"America", a poem by Walt Whitman from ''Leaves of Grass''

Music

America (band), an English-American rock band

America Records (France), a French jazz record label

Albums

''America'' (America album)

''America'' (Havalina album)

''America'' (John Fahey album)

''America'' (Kurtis Blow album)

''America'' (Modern Talking album)

''America – The EP'', an EP by Rebecca St. James

''America'', an album by George Adams

''America: An Album for All Ages'', an album by Bobby Susser

''América & En Vivo'', an EP by Luis Miguel

Songs

"America" (Bree Sharp song)

"America" (Killing Joke song)

"America" (Neil Diamond song)

"America" (Prince song)

"America" (Razorlight song)

"America" (Simon & Garfunkel song)

"America" (''West Side Story'' song)

"America, Fuck Yeah", the satirical theme song of the 2004 film ''Team America: World Police''

"America", a song by Tracy Chapman from ''Where You Live''

"America", a song by Waylon Jennings from ''Turn the Page''

"America", a song by Nas from his untitled ninth studio album

"America", a song by Santana featuring P.O.D. from ''Shaman''

"América", a song by José Luis Perales

"America", a song by Bobby Susser from ''America: An Album for All Ages''

"My Country, 'Tis of Thee" or "America", a patriotic song of the United States

Other media

''America'' (magazine), a weekly Roman Catholic magazine

America (XM), an XM satellite radio channel

América 2, an Argentine television station

America One, an American over-the-air television network

América Televisión, a Peruvian television network

People

America Ferrera, American actress

America Hoffman, son of activist Abbie Hoffman

America Olivo, American actress

Sports

América Football Club (disambiguation)

América de Cali, a football club from Cali, Colombia

América Managua, a football club from Managua, Nicaragua

Club América, a football club from Mexico City

Copa América (Spanish and Portuguese for "America Cup") football competition in South America

Vehicles

''America'' (aircraft), a multi-engine airplane used by Richard E. Byrd and his crew on a 1927 transatlantic flight

''America'' (airship), an airship flown in 1907 and 1909 attempts to reach the North Pole, and a 1910 attempt to cross the Atlantic

America (Spanish automobile), an automobile produced in Barcelona, Spain

America (American automobile)

''America'', the callsign of the Apollo 17 Command/Service Module

Ships

''America'' (yacht), a racing yacht that won the America's Cup in 1851

French ship ''America'' (1788), a Téméraire-class ship of the French Navy

* America class ship of the line, derived from the French ship ''America''

SS ''America'', several ships of the name

HMS ''America'', several ships of the Royal Navy

USS ''America'', several ships of the United States Navy

America class steamship, Cunard sidewheel transatlantic steamships

* RMS ''America'', first of the ''America''-class

America class amphibious assault ship

Video games

''America'' (video game), a 2001 Wild West-themed real-time strategy game

See also

Air America (disambiguation)

American (disambiguation)

Americana (disambiguation)

Americas (terminology)

Amerika (disambiguation)

Amerigo Vespucci, for whom the Americas were named

Amerrique Mountains

als:Amerika ar:أمريكا (توضيح) bn:আমেরিকা be-x-old:Амэрыка (неадназначнасьць) bg:Америка (пояснение) br:Amerika (disheñvelout) ceb:Amerika cs:Amerika (rozcestník) sn:America cy:America da:Amerika (flertydig) de:Amerika (Begriffsklärung) es:América (desambiguación) fa:آمریکا (ابهام‌زدایی) fo:Amerika fr:America haw:‘Amelika hy:Ամերիկա (այլ կիրառումներ) hi:अमेरिका hr:Amerika (razdvojba) ig:Amerikạ id:Amerika he:אמריקה (פירושונים) jv:Amérika kn:ಅಮೇರಿಕ ku:Amerîka lb:Amerika ms:Amerika nl:Amerika ja:アメリカ (曖昧さ回避) frr:Ameerikoo no:Amerika (andre betydninger) tpi:Amerika pl:Ameryka (ujednoznacznienie) pt:América (desambiguação) crh:Amerika ru:Америка (значения) sq:Amerika scn:Amèrica sl:Amerika sr:Америка sh:Amerika fi:America sv:Amerika (olika betydelser) tl:Amerika ta:அமெரிக்கா tr:Amerika (anlam ayrımı) uk:Америка (значення) ur:امریکہ (ضد ابہام) zh:亚美利加 (消歧义)

name	Tim Russert
birthname	Timothy John Russert
birth date	May 07, 1950
birth place	Buffalo, New York, U.S.
death date	June 13, 2008
death place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
education	B.A. in Political Science, 1972John Carroll University,J.D., 1976 Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Canisius High School 68'
occupation	Journalist
years active	1983-2008
party	Democrat
spouse	Maureen Orth(m. 1983–2008, his death)
children	Luke Russert
religion	Roman Catholic
credits	''Meet the Press'' moderator(1991–2008), ''NBC Nightly News'' correspondent,NBC News Washington Bureau Chief, host of ''Tim Russert''
url	http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4459759/ }}

Timothy John "Tim" Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program ''Tim Russert''. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's ''The Today Show'' and ''Hardball''. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/''Wall Street Journal'' survey on the ''NBC Nightly News'' during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. ''Time'' magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. Russert was posthumously revealed as a 30-year source for syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

Early life

Russert was born in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents Elizabeth (Betty), a homemaker, and Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert (November 29, 1923 – September 24, 2009), a sanitation worker. Elizabeth and Joseph were married for 30 years before separating in 1976. He was the second of four children; his sisters are Betty Ann (B.A.), Kathleen (Kathy) and Patricia (Trish). He received a Jesuit education from Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He received his B.A. in 1972 from John Carroll University and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1976. Russert commented on ''Meet the Press'' that he went to Woodstock, "in a Buffalo Bills jersey with a case of beer." While in law school, an official from his alma mater, John Carroll University, called Russert to ask if he could book some concerts for the school as he had done while a student. He agreed, but said he would need to be paid because he was running out of money to pay for law school. One concert that Russert booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance. Russert told this story to Jay Leno when he was a guest on ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC on June 6, 2006. John Carroll University has since named its Department of Communications and Theatre Arts in Russert's honor.

Professional career

Political

Prior to becoming host of ''Meet the Press'', Russert worked as a special counsel, and later as chief of staff, to U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan, a Democrat from New York. In 1983, he became the counsel to New York Governor Mario Cuomo, also a Democrat.

NBC News: Washington bureau chief and host of ''Meet the Press''

He was hired by NBC News' Washington bureau the following year and became bureau chief by 1989. Russert assumed the job of host of the Sunday morning program ''Meet the Press'' in 1991, and would become the longest serving host of the program. Its name was changed to ''Meet the Press with Tim Russert'', and, at his suggestion, went to an hour-long format in 1992. The show also shifted to a greater focus on in-depth interviews with high profile guests, where Russert was known especially for his extensive preparatory research. One approach he developed was to find old quotes or video clips that were inconsistent with guests' more recent statements, present them on-air to his guests and then ask them to clarify their positions. With Russert as host the show became increasingly popular, receiving more than four million viewers per week, and it was recognized as one of the most important sources of political news. ''Time'' magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Russert often moderated political campaign debates.

Political coverage and debates

During NBC's coverage of the 2000 presidential election, Russert calculated possible Electoral College outcomes using a whiteboard (now in the Smithsonian Institution) on the air and memorably summed up the outcome as dependent upon "Florida, Florida, Florida." TV Guide described the scene as "one of the 100 greatest moments in TV history." Russert again accurately predicted the final battleground of the presidential elections of 2004: "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio." On the MSNBC show ''Tucker'', Russert predicted the battleground states of the 2008 presidential election would be New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, saying, "If Democrats can win three of those four, they can lose Ohio and Florida, and win the presidency."

Red states and blue states

According to ''The Washington Post'', the phrases red states and blue states were coined by Tim Russert, although in that same article Russert states that he wasn't the first to use the terminology. This term refers to those states of the United States of America whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates, respectively. John Chancellor, Russert's NBC colleague, is credited with using red and blue to represent the states on a US map for the 1976 presidential election, but at that time Republican states were blue, and Democratic states were red. Mainstream political discussion following the 2000 presidential election used red state/blue state more frequently.

CIA leak scandal

In the Plame affair, Scooter Libby, convicted chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Russert told him of the identity of Central Intelligence Agency officer Valerie Plame (Mrs. Joseph C. Wilson). Russert testified previously, and again in ''United States v. I. Lewis Libby,'' that he would neither testify whether he spoke with Libby nor would he describe the conversation. Russert did say, however, that Plame's identity as a CIA operative was not leaked to him. Russert testified again in the trial on February 7, 2007. According to the ''Washington Post'', Russert testified that "when ''any'' senior government official calls him, they are presumptively off the record," saying: "when I talk to senior government officials on the phone, it's my own policy our conversations are confidential. If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission."

At the trial, the prosecution asserted that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent had called Russert regarding Russert's phone call with Libby, and that Russert had told the agent that the subject of Plame had not come up during his conversation with Libby. Russert was posthumously revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak, whose original article revealed Plame's affiliation with the CIA. In a Slate.com article, Jack Shafer argued that "the Novak-Russert relationship poses a couple of questions. [...] Russert's long service as an anonymous source to Novak...requires further explanation." In a posthumous commentary, the L.A. Times wrote that, "Like former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, Russert was one of the high-level Washington journalists who came out of the Libby trial looking worse than shabby." The article's author, Tim Rutten, argued that although Russert and NBC had claimed that these conversations were protected by journalistic privilege, "it emerged under examination [that] Russert already had sung like a choirboy to the FBI concerning his conversation with Libby—and had so voluntarily from the first moment the Feds contacted him. All the litigation was for the sake of image and because the journalistic conventions required it."

Iraq War

In the lead up to the Iraq War, ''Meet the Press'' featured interviews with top government officials including Vice President Dick Cheney. CBS ''Evening News'' correspondent Anthony Mason praised Russert's interview techniques: "In 2003, as the United States prepared to go to war in Iraq, Russert pressed Vice President Dick Cheney about White House assumptions." However, Salon.com reported a statement from Cheney press aide Cathie Martin regarding advice she says she offered when the Bush administration had to respond to charges that it manipulated pre-Iraq War intelligence: "I suggested we put the vice president on ''Meet the Press'', which was a tactic we often used. It's our best format." David Folkenflik quoted Russert in his May 19, 2004, ''Baltimore Sun'' article:

Folkenflik went on to write:

In the 2007 PBS documentary, ''Buying the War'', Russert commented:

2008 presidential debate

At the February debate, Russert was criticized for what some perceived as disproportionately tough questioning of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton. Among the questions, Russert had asked Clinton, but not Obama, to provide the name of the new Russian President (Dmitry Medvedev). This was later parodied on ''Saturday Night Live''. In October 2007, liberal commentators accused Russert of harassing Clinton over the issue of supporting drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.

Enthusiasm for sports

Russert grew up as a New York Yankees fan, switching his allegiance to the Nationals when they were established in Washington, D.C. Russert held season tickets to both the Washington Nationals and the Washington Wizards and was elected to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2003.

A lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills football team, Russert often closed Sunday broadcasts during the football season with a statement of encouragement for the franchise. The team released a statement on the day of his death, saying that listening to Russert's "Go Bills" exhortation was part of their Sunday morning game preparation. He once prayed publicly on the show with his father when the Bills were going for the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive time before Super Bowl XXVIII. On July 23, 2008, U.S. Route 20 leading to the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York was renamed the "Timothy J. Russert Highway".

Russert was also a Buffalo Sabres fan and appeared on an episode of ''Meet the Press'' next to the Stanley Cup during a Sabres playoff run. While his son was attending Boston College, he often ended ''Meet the Press'' with a mention of the success of various Boston College sports teams.

Author

Russert penned a best-selling autobiography, ''Big Russ and Me'' in 2004, which chronicled his life growing up in the predominantly Irish American working-class neighborhood of South Buffalo and his education at Canisius High School. Russert's father Timothy Joseph Russert, "Big Russ," was a World War II veteran who held down two jobs after the war, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong family values, the reverence of faith, and never taking a short cut to reach a goal. Russert claimed to have received over 60,000 letters from people in response to the book, detailing their own experiences with their fathers. He released ''Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons'' in 2005, a collection of some of these letters. This book also became a best-seller.

Cameo television appearance

Russert made a cameo appearance in 1995 on the critically acclaimed police drama, ''Homicide: Life on the Street''. He played the cousin of fictional Baltimore homicide detective Megan Russert. He was mentioned by name again on the show in 1996, when it was said that he had introduced his "cousin" to a French diplomat, with whom she then went abroad. ''Homicide'' executive producer Tom Fontana attended the same Buffalo high school as Russert.

Awards

During his career, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and won several awards for excellence in journalism, including the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication and the Catholic Academy for Communication's Gabriel Award. Russert also received an Emmy Award in 2005 for his coverage of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.

Personal life

Russert met Maureen Orth at the 1976 Democratic National Convention; they married in 1983 at the Basilica de San Miguel in Madrid, Spain. Orth has been a special correspondent for ''Vanity Fair'' since 1993.

Their son, Luke, graduated from Boston College in 2008. He hosts the XM Radio show ''60/20 Sports'' with James Carville, and was an intern with ESPN's ''Pardon the Interruption'' and NBC's ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. On July 31, 2008, NBC News announced that Luke Russert would serve as an NBC News correspondent covering the youth perspective on the 2008 United States presidential election.

The Russert family lived in northwest Washington, D.C. and also spent time at a vacation home on Nantucket Island, where Tim served on the board of several non-profit organizations.

Russert, a devout Catholic, said many times he had made a promise to God to never miss Sunday Mass if his son were born healthy. In his writing and in his news reporting, Russert spoke openly and fondly of his Catholic school education and of the role of the Catholic Church in his life. He was an outspoken supporter of Catholic education on all levels. Russert said that his father, a sanitation worker who never finished high school, "worked two jobs all his life so his four kids could go to Catholic school, and those schools changed my life." He also spoke warmly of the Catholic nuns who taught him. "Sister Mary Lucille founded a school newspaper and appointed me editor and changed my life," he said. Teachers in Catholic schools "taught me to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong."

Russert also contributed his time to numerous Catholic charities. He was particularly devoted and concerned for the welfare of street kids in the United States and children whose lives were lost to street violence. He told church workers attending the 2005 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that "if there's an issue that Democrats, Republicans, conservatives and liberals can agree on, it's our kids."

Russert's favorite beer was Rolling Rock, and, at his funeral, fellow anchor Tom Brokaw brought and raised a Rolling Rock in Russert's memory.

Shortly before his death, he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI during his trip to Italy. He was also scheduled to give the Catholic Common Ground Initiative's Philip J. Murnion Lecture on June 27, 2008 at The Catholic University of America. He was replaced by NBC Anchor Brian Williams. Russert's Catholic life and what it might teach the Church was the topic of William's lecture. Russert was the commencement speaker at Saint Joseph's University in summer of 2005.

Death

Shortly after 1:30 pm on June 13, 2008, Russert collapsed at the offices of WRC-TV, which houses the Washington, D.C. bureau of NBC News where he was chief. He was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of ''Meet the Press.'' According to Brian Williams, during his speech at the Kennedy Center on June 13, Russert's last words were, "What's happening?" spoken as a greeting to NBC Washington bureau editing supervisor Candace Harrington. He then collapsed. A co-worker began CPR on him. The District of Columbia Fire and Rescue service received a call from NBC at 1:40 pm, and dispatched an EMS unit which arrived at 1:44 pm. Paramedics attempted to defibrillate Russert's heart three times, but he did not respond. Russert was then transported to Sibley Memorial Hospital, arriving at 2:23 pm, where he was pronounced dead. He was 58 years old.

In accordance with American journalistic tradition, the public announcement of Russert's death was withheld by both the wire services and his network's competitors, until Russert's family had been notified. Retired ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Tom Brokaw then delivered, live on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, the news of his death. ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Brian Williams was on assignment in Afghanistan and could not anchor the special report. Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Rome, Italy, where he had celebrated his son's graduation from Boston College. While his wife and son remained in Rome, Russert had returned to prepare for his Sunday television show.

Russert's longtime friend and physician, Dr. Michael Newman, said that his asymptomatic coronary artery disease had been controlled with medication and exercise, and that he had performed well on a stress test in late April. An autopsy performed on the day of his death determined that his history of coronary artery disease led to a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and ventricular fibrillation with the immediate cause being an occlusive coronary thrombosis in the left anterior descending artery resulting from a ruptured cholesterol plaque, called a "widow maker".

Russert is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, next to the historic Soldiers' Home, in Washington's Petworth neighborhood. The Newseum in Washington, D.C., has a re-creation of Russert's office.

Reaction

On the evening of his death, the entire, nearly commercial-free half hour of ''NBC Nightly News'' was dedicated to Russert's memory. Bill and Hillary Clinton released a joint statement saying Russert "had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him." Many of his colleagues in both newspaper and television reporting also offered tribute to Russert in this and other programs. Other major news agencies, including CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC spent large segments of their programming on June 13 reporting about Russert's life and career. Bruce Springsteen, a friend of Russert's, gave an on-stage tribute to Russert while performing in Cardiff, Wales, on June 14 and again at Russert's televised Kennedy Center memorial service, calling him "an important irreplaceable voice in American journalism" and offering condolences to his family. On the June 13, 2008, episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', O'Brien simply walked onto the stage at the start of the show. Instead of his usual upbeat antics and monologue, O'Brien announced that he had just received news about the sudden death of his good friend, fellow NBC employee and frequent ''Late Night'' guest Tim Russert. O'Brien proceeded to show two clips of his favorite Russert ''Late Night'' moments.

Some journalists criticized the amount of media coverage that Russert's death received. Jack Shafer of ''Slate'' called NBC's coverage a "never-ending video wake." ''Washington Post'' writer Paul Farhi also expressed disapproval, noting that a print journalist would likely not have received similar attention. ''Chicago Tribune'' columnist Julia Keller questioned the volume of coverage as well as the labeling of Russert's death as "a national tragedy."

Career timeline

;Political career

1977–1982 — chief of staff to Daniel Patrick Moynihan

1983–1984 — counselor to Mario Cuomo

;Broadcast career

1984–1988 — senior vice president of NBC News' Washington operations

1995—Homicide: Life on the Street (cameo appearance as self, but as fictitious cousin of Captain Megan Russert)

1988–2008 — Washington bureau chief of NBC News

1991–2008 — moderator of ''Meet the Press''

1992–2006 — co-anchor of NBC News' election night coverage

;Debates moderated 1991 — Ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards and State Rep. David Duke, candidates for Governor of Louisiana 1994 — Gov. Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida 1998 — Sen. Bob Graham vs. State Sen. Charlie Crist, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida January 2000 — in New Hampshire involving Republican candidates for President January 2000 — in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for President 2000 — Bill McCollum vs. Bill Nelson, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida September 2000 — in Buffalo Rep. Rick Lazio and First Lady Hillary Clinton, candidates for U.S. Senate from New York October 2000 — involving candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida 2002 — Bill McBride and Gov. Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida 2002 — Shannon O'Brien vs. Mitt Romney, candidates for Governor of Massachusetts 2004 — Betty Castor and HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida October 2005 — Jerry Kilgore and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, candidates for governor of Virginia November 2006 — in Orlando Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Katherine Harris, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida September 2007 — in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for U.S. President

November 2007 — (co-moderator) of debate in Philadelphia involving Democratic candidates for U.S. president

January 2008 — in Boca Raton, Florida involving Republican candidates for President January 2008 — in Las Vegas, Nevada involving Democratic candidates for President

March 2008 — (co-moderator) at Cleveland State between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic candidates for U.S. President

References

Further reading

Russert, Tim. Interview with President George W. Bush. Transcript. ''NBC News' Meet the Press''. MSNBC February 8, 2004. Accessed February 10, 2007.

Russert, Tim. Interview with Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, presidential candidate. Transcript. ''NBC News' Meet the Press''. MSNBC April 18, 2004. Accessed February 10, 2007.

External links

Tim Russert – MSNBC biography

''Booknotes'' interview with Russert on ''Meet the Press: 50 Years of History in the Making'', December 7, 1997.

Remembering Tim Russert

Tim Russert at Find-A-Grave

A Tribute to Tim Russert '72 – John Carroll University video tribute

Tim Russert Archive of American Television Interview

Category:1950 births Category:2008 deaths Category:American television news anchors Category:American political journalists Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in Washington, D.C. Category:Cleveland-Marshall College of Law alumni Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Emmy Award winners Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:John Carroll University alumni Category:Journalists from Upstate New York Category:NBC News Category:New York Democrats Category:New York lawyers Category:People from Buffalo, New York Category:People of the Plame affair Category:Washington, D.C. Democrats Category:Washington, D.C. lawyers Category:Writers from New York Category:Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery

de:Tim Russert es:Tim Russert fa:تیم راسرت fr:Tim Russert id:Tim Russert it:Tim Russert he:טים ראסרט la:Timotheus Ioannes Russert nl:Tim Russert no:Tim Russert pt:Tim Russert simple:Tim Russert fi:Tim Russert sv:Tim Russert zh:提姆·拉瑟特

birthname	Barbara Lillian Combes
birth date	December 22, 1915
birth place	Los Angeles, United States
death date	October 16, 2010
death place	Santa Monica, California, United States
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1945–2007
spouse	(divorced) 2 children(his death)(his death) }}

Barbara Billingsley (December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010) was an American film, television, voice and stage actress. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie ''The Careless Years'', acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best–known role, that of June Cleaver on the television series ''Leave It to Beaver'' (1957–1963) and its sequel ''Still the Beaver'' (1985–1988, retitled in season two as ''The New Leave It to Beaver'').

Early life

Billingsley was born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles, in 1915, the youngest child of patrolman Robert Collyer Combes (1891–1950) and his first wife, the former Lillian Agnes McLaughlin. She had one elder sibling, Elizabeth (1911–1992). Her parents divorced sometime before her fourth birthday, and her father, who later became an assistant chief of police, remarried. After her divorce, Lillian Combes went to work as a foreman at a knitting mill.

Billingsley fell in love with drama in the second grade, and during her years at George Washington High School in Los Angeles (now Washington Preparatory High School), she performed in all the school plays. She was voted "Class Queen", and graduated from George Washington in 1934.

She used the name Barbara Combes until 1941. After 1941 when she married her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, she used Barbara Billingsley.

Starting out

After attending Los Angeles Junior College for one year, Billingsley traveled to Broadway, when ''Straw Hat'', a revue in which she was appearing, attracted enough attention to send it to New York. When, after five days, the show closed, she took an apartment on 57th Street and went to work as a $60–a–week fashion model. She also landed a contract with MGM Studios in 1945.

She usually had uncredited roles in major motion picture productions in the 1940s. These roles continued into the first half of the 1950s with ''The Bad and the Beautiful'', ''Three Guys Named Mike'', opposite Jane Wyman, as well as the sci-fi story ''Invaders from Mars'' (1953). Her film experience led to roles on the sitcoms ''Professional Father'' (with Stephen Dunne and Beverly Washburn) and ''The Brothers'' (with Gale Gordon and Bob Sweeney) as well as an appearance with David Niven on his anthology series ''Four Star Playhouse''. In 1957, she guest starred in the episode "That Magazine" of the CBS sitcom ''Mr. Adams and Eve'', starring Howard Duff and Ida Lupino. She co–starred opposite Dean Stockwell and Natalie Trundy in ''The Careless Years'', which was her first and only major role in film.

In 1952 Billingsley had her first guest–starring role on an episode of ''The Abbott and Costello Show''. The part led to other roles on ''The Lone Wolf'', two episodes of ''City Detective'', ''The Pride of the Family'', ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'', ''Letter to Loretta'', ''General Electric Summer Originals'', ''You Are There'', ''Cavalcade of America'', ''Panic!'', ''Mr. Adams and Eve'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Silver Spoons'', ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'', ''Mike Hammer'', ''Empty Nest'', among many others. She reprised her June Cleaver role three times, in ''Amazing Stories'', ''Baby Boom'' and ''Roseanne''. She also guest-starred on an episode of ''Make Room For Daddy'', in which Thomas's character is a widower. The producers reportedly considered casting her as his second wife, but later decided against it, and Marjorie Lord eventually got the role.

''Leave It to Beaver''

After Billingsley signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1957, she made her mark on TV as everyday mother June Cleaver on ''Leave It to Beaver'', alongside other 1950s family sitcoms such as ''Father Knows Best'', ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', ''Make Room For Daddy'' and ''The Donna Reed Show''. It debuted on CBS in 1957, to mediocre ratings and was soon cancelled. However, the show moved to ABC the following year and stayed there for the next five seasons. The show was featured in over 100 countries. Also starring on ''Beaver'' were Hugh Beaumont, in the role of Ward Cleaver, June's husband and the kids' father, as well as child actors Tony Dow in the role of Wally Cleaver and Jerry Mathers as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver.

In the show Billingsley often could be seen doing household chores wearing pearls and earrings. The pearls, which in real-life were Billingsley's trademark, were in turn her idea to have her alter ego wear on television. The actress had what she termed "a hollow" on her neck and thought that wearing a strand of white pearls would lighten it up for the cameras. In later seasons, she started wearing high heels to compensate for the fact that the actors who played her sons were growing up and getting taller than she was. So associated was the pearl necklace with the character, that an entire episode of the sequel series dealt with the necklace when lost. Billingsley had one regret about the show's lasting success: residual payments ended after six reruns in standard 1950s actors' contracts.

"She was the ideal mother," Billingsley said of her character in 1997 in ''TV Guide''. "Some people think she was weakish, but I don't. She was the love in that family. She set a good example for what a wife could be. I had two boys at home when I did the show. I think the character became kind of like me and vice versa. I've never known where one started and where one stopped." As for the idealized TV family on "Leave It to Beaver," which continues in reruns on cable more than half a century after its debut, Billingsley had her own explanation for the Cleavers' enduring appeal. "Good grief," she told ''TV Guide'', "I think everybody would like a family like that. Wouldn't it be nice if you came home from school and there was Mom standing there with her little apron and cookies waiting?" Billingsley, however, did question her character's reactions to the Cleaver children's misbehavior, basing her concern on personal experience as the mother of two sons. As co-producer Joseph Connelly explained, "In scenes where she's mad at the boys, she's always coming over to us with the script and objecting. 'I don't see why June is so mad over what Beaver's done. I certainly wouldn't be.' As a result, many of Beaver's crimes have been rewritten into something really heinous like lying about them, in order to give his mother a strong motive for blowing her lady-like stack."

After six seasons and 234 episodes, the popular series was canceled due to the cast's desire to move on to other projects, especially Mathers, who retired from acting to enter his freshman year in high school. The younger actor considered Billingsley a mentor, second mother and a close professional friend:

After the show's cancellation, Mathers remained her close friend for over 45 years. They were reunited on ''The New Leave It to Beaver''. Billingsley, Mathers, Dow, Frank Bank and Ken Osmond also celebrated the show's 50th anniversary together.

After ''Beaver''

When production of the show ended in 1963, Billingsley had become typecast as saccharine sweet and had trouble obtaining acting jobs for years. She traveled extensively abroad until the late 1970s. After an absence of 17 years from the public eye (other than appearing in two episodes of ''The F.B.I.'' in 1971), Billingsley spoofed her wholesome image with a brief appearance in the comedy ''Airplane!'' (1980), as a passenger who could ''"speak jive"''. She became the voice of Nanny and The Little Train on ''Muppet Babies'' from 1984 to 1991.

Billingsley appeared with Robin Williams and Pam Dawber in a 1982 episode of ''Mork & Mindy''. She appeared in a ''Leave It to Beaver'' reunion television movie entitled ''Still the Beaver'' in 1983. Hugh Beaumont had died the year before of a heart attack, so she played his widow. She also appeared in the subsequent revival of the series, ''The New Leave It to Beaver'' (1985–1989). In the 1997 film version of ''Leave It to Beaver'', Billingsley played the character "Aunt Martha". In 1995, she appeared with other "TV Moms" on ''Roseanne''. In 1998, she appeared on ''Candid Camera'', along with June Lockhart and Isabel Sanford, as audience members in a spoof seminar on motherhood.

On October 4, 2007, she and her surviving castmates, Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Ken Osmond and Frank Bank, were reunited on ABC's ''Good Morning America'', to celebrate ''Leave It to Beaver'''s 50th anniversary. According to interviewer Tom Bergeron, both of Billingsley's co-stars, Mathers and Osmond, currently get financial advice from another co-star, Bank.

On May 6, 2008, hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she was unable to attend the Academy Leonard Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood, California, where the Academy of Television Arts & Science presented "A Salute to TV Moms."

Personal life

Billingsley was married to: Glenn Billingsley, Sr. (1912–1984), a restaurateur who was a nephew of Sherman Billingsley, the owner of the Stork Club. Her husband's businesses included Billingsley's Golden Bull, Billingsley's Bocage, and the Outrigger Polynesian restaurants in Los Angeles, and a Stork Club in Key West, Florida, where the couple lived briefly after their marriage in 1941 (divorced 1947). They had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr., who now own and operate Billingsley's Steak House in West Los Angeles, California, which was formerly their father's original Golden Bull restaurant. By this marriage, the actress was related to actor/producer Peter Billingsley.

Roy Kellino (1912–1956), a British-born movie director who had previously been married to British actress Pamela Mason. He and Billingsley were married from 1953 until his death.

Dr. William S. Mortensen (1907–1981), whom she married in 1959. By this marriage, she had stepchildren; the oldest was William Mortensen, Jr., retired Chairman of the Board of old First Federal of Santa Monica

Death

Billingsley died of polymyalgia at her home in Santa Monica, California on October 16, 2010, at the age of 94. She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.

Filmography

Film

''The Arnelo Affair'' (1947) unbilled

''The Argyle Secrets'' (1948)

''Valiant Hombre'' (1948)

''Prejudice'' (1949)

''I Cheated the Law'' (1949)

''Caught'' (1949) unbilled

''Air Hostess'' (1949)

''Shadow on the Wall'' (1950)

''Trial Without Jury'' (1950)

''Pretty Baby'' (1950)

''Three Guys Named Mike'' (1951)

''Inside Straight'' (1951)

''Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) (uncredited)

''Two-Dollar Bettor'' (1951)

''The Bad and the Beautiful'' (1952) (uncredited)

''Young Man with Ideas'' (1952)

''Woman in the Dark'' (1952)

''The Lady Wants Mink'' (1953)

''The Careless Years'' (1957)

''Airplane!'' (1980)

''Still the Beaver'' (1983) (TV)

''Back to the Beach'' (1987)

''Bay Coven'' (1987) (TV)

''Leave It to Beaver'' (1997)

''Secret Santa'' (2003) (TV)

Television

''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' (1953–1955)

''City Detective'', two episodes:

* "The Corpse on the Carousel" (1953)

* "The Glass Thumb" (1954)

''Four Star Playhouse'' (1953–1955)

''The Brothers'' (1956)

''Make Room for Daddy'' (1957)

''Leave It to Beaver'' (1957–1963)

''The F.B.I.'' (1971)

''Mork and Mindy'' (1982)

''Amazing Stories'' (1985)

''Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'' (1984–1990)

''The New Leave It to Beaver'' (1985–1989)

''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'' (1991)

''Roseanne'' (1995)

''Mysterious Ways'' (2000)

''My Name Is Earl'' (2007)

References

Further reading

Applebaum, Irwyn. ''The World According to Beaver''. TV Books, 1984, 1998.

Mathers, Jerry. ''...And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver"''. Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998.

External links

Barbara Billingsley Interview at Archive of American Television

"Barbara Billingsley, TV’s June Cleaver, Dies at 94," by MICHAEL POLLAK, The New York Times, October 16, 2010

Category:1915 births Category:2010 deaths Category:Actors from California Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American voice actors Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area

de:Barbara Billingsley fr:Barbara Billingsley nl:Barbara Billingsley pt:Barbara Billingsley ru:Биллингсли, Барбара sh:Barbara Billingsley fi:Barbara Billingsley zh:芭芭拉·比林斯利

name	Andy Rooney
birth name	Andrew Aitken Rooney
birth date	January 14, 1919
death date	November 04, 2011
birth place	Albany, New York, U.S.
death place	New York City, New York, U.S.
death cause	Complications following a minor surgery and later attended Colgate University in Hamilton in Central New York, where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity, before he was drafted into the United States Army in August 1941. World War II Rooney began his career in newspapers while in the Army when, in 1942, he began writing for ''Stars and Stripes'' in London during World War II. In February 1943, flying with the Eighth Air Force, he was one of six correspondents who flew on the second American bombing raid over Germany. Later, he was one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps near the end of World War II, and one of the first to write about them. During a segment on Tom Brokaw's ''The Greatest Generation'', Rooney stated that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether "just wars" exist. For his service as a war correspondent in combat zones during the war Rooney was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal. Rooney's 1995 memoir, ''My War'', chronicles his war reporting. In addition to recounting firsthand several notable historical events and people (including the entry into Paris and the Nazi concentration camps), Rooney describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter. Career Rooney joined CBS in 1949, as a writer for ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'', when Godfrey was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. It opened the show up to a variety of viewers. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952, during Rooney's tenure with the program. It was the beginning of a close life-long friendship between Rooney and Godfrey. He wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show ''Arthur Godfrey Time''. He later moved on to ''The Garry Moore Show'', which became a hit program. During the same period, he wrote for CBS News public affairs programs such as ''The Twentieth Century''. According to CBS News's biography of him, "Rooney wrote his first television essay, a longer-length precursor of the type he does on ''60 Minutes'', in 1964, "An Essay on Doors." From 1962, to 1968, he collaborated with another close friend, the late CBS News correspondent Harry Reasoner — Rooney writing and producing, Reasoner narrating — on such notable CBS News specials as "An Essay on Bridges" (1965), "An Essay on Hotels" (1966), "An Essay on Women" (1967), and "The Strange Case of the English Language" (1968). In 1968, he wrote two CBS News specials in the series "Of Black America," and his script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed" won him his first Emmy." When CBS declined to broadcast "An Essay on War" in 1970, Rooney quit CBS and read the opinion himself on PBS — his first appearance on television. That show in 1971 won Rooney his third Writers Guild Award. Rooney re-joined CBS in 1973, to write and produce special programs. Rooney also wrote the script for the 1975 documentary ''FDR: The Man Who Changed America''. After his return to the network, Rooney wrote and appeared in several prime-time specials for CBS, including ''In Praise of New York City'' (1974), the Peabody Award-winning ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington'' (1975), ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner'' (1978), and ''Mr. Rooney Goes to Work'' (1977). Transcripts of these specials, as well as of some of the earlier collaborations with Reasoner, are contained in the book ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney''. Another special, ''Andy Rooney Takes Off'', followed in 1984. ''A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney'' Rooney's "end-of-show" segment on ''60 Minutes'', "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" (originally "Three Minutes or So With Andy Rooney"), began in 1978, as a summer replacement for the debate segment "Point/Counterpoint" featuring Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick. The segment proved popular enough with viewers that beginning in the fall of 1978, it was seen in alternate weeks with the debate segment. At the end of the 1978–1979 season, "Point/Counterpoint" was dropped altogether. In the segment, Rooney typically offered satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" often included whimsical lists, e.g., types of milk, bottled water brands, car brands, sports mascots, etc. In later years, his segments became more political as well. Despite being best known for his television presence on ''60 Minutes'', Rooney always considered himself a writer who incidentally appeared on television behind his famous walnut table, which he made himself. Controversies Rooney made a number of comments which elicited strong reactions from fans and producers alike. Insensitivity towards minorities Rooney wrote a column in 1992 that posited that it was "silly" for Native Americans to complain about team names like the Redskins, in which he wrote in part, "The real problem is, we took the country away from the Indians, they want it back and we're not going to give it to them. We feel guilty and we'll do what we can for them within reason, but they can't have their country back. Next question." In a 2007 column for ''Tribune'' media services, he wrote, "I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me." Rooney later commented, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said it, [but] it's a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn't think of it in any derogatory sense." In 1990, Rooney was suspended without pay for three months by then-CBS News President David Burke, because of the negative publicity around his saying that "too much alcohol, too much food, drugs, homosexual unions, cigarettes [are] all known to lead to premature death." He wrote an explanatory letter to a gay organization after being ordered not to do so. After only four weeks without Rooney, ''60 Minutes'' lost 20 percent of its audience. CBS management then decided that it was in the best interest of the network to have Rooney return immediately. After Rooney's reinstatement, he made his remorse public: }}

Rooney always denied that he was a racist. In the 1940s, he was arrested after sitting in the back of a segregated bus in protest. Also, in 2008, when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, Rooney applauded the fact that "the citizens of this country, 80 percent of whom are white, freely chose to elect a black man as their leader simply because they thought he was the best choice." He said that makes him proud, and that it proves that the country has "come a long way — a good way."

Remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide

In a 1994 segment, Rooney attracted controversy with his remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide. He expressed his dismay that the death of Richard Nixon was overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, stating that he had never heard of Cobain nor his band, Nirvana. He went on to say that Cobain's suicide made him angry. "A lot of people would like to have the years left that he threw away," Rooney said. "What's all this nonsense about how terrible life is?" he asked, adding rhetorically to a young woman who had wept at the suicide, "I'd love to relieve the pain you're going through by switching my age for yours." In addition, he asked "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression, World War II or Vietnam?" and commented that "If [Cobain] applied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, it's reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense either."

On the following Sunday's show, he apologized on the air, saying he should have taken Cobain's depression into account. He also read only critical feedback from listeners without interjecting any commentary of his own.

Collections and retirement

Rooney's shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as ''Common Nonsense'', which came out in 2002, and ''Years of Minutes'', probably his best-known work, released in 2003. He penned a regular syndicated column for Tribune Media Services that ran in many newspapers in the United States, and which has been collected in book form. He won three Emmy Awards for his essays, which numbered over 1,000. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003. Rooney's renown made him a frequent target of parodies and impersonations by a diverse group of comedic figures, including Frank Caliendo, Rich Little and Beavis.

In 1993, CBS released a two-volume VHS tape set of the best of Rooney's commentaries and field reports, called "The Andy Rooney Television Collection — His Best Minutes." In 2006, CBS released three DVDs of his more recent commentaries, "Andy Rooney On Almost Everything," "Things That Bother Andy Rooney," and "Andy Rooney's Solutions."

Rooney's final regular appearance on ''60 Minutes'' was on October 2, 2011, after 33 years on the show. It was his 1,097th commentary.

Views

He claimed on ''Larry King Live'' to have a liberal bias, stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions." In a controversial 1999 book Rooney self-identified as agnostic, but by 2004 he was calling himself an atheist. He reaffirmed this in 2008. Over the years, many of his editorials poked fun at the concept of God and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding Mel Gibson's film ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004).

Though Rooney has been called Irish-American, he once said "I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period."

In 2005, when four people were fired at CBS News perhaps because of the Killian documents controversy, Rooney said, "The people on the front lines got fired while the people most instrumental in getting the broadcast on escaped." Others at CBS had "kept mum" about the controversy.

Personal life

Rooney was married to Marguerite "Margie" Rooney (née Howard) for 62 years, until she died of heart failure in 2004. He later wrote, "her name does not appear as often as it originally did [in my essays] because it hurts too much to write it." They had four children; Brian, Emily, Martha and Ellen. His daughter Emily Rooney is a TV talk show host and former ABC News producer who went on to host a nightly Boston-area public affairs program, ''Greater Boston'', on WGBH. Emily's identical twin, Martha, became Chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. The third daughter, Ellen, is a photographer based in London. His son, Brian Rooney, has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s.

Rooney also had a sister Nancy Reynolds Rooney (1915–2008).

Rooney lived in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, Connecticut, and in Rensselaerville, New York, and was a longtime season ticket holder for the New York Giants.

Death

Rooney was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgery, and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92, less than five weeks after his last appearance on ''60 Minutes''.

Awards

2001 — Emperor Has No Clothes Award from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Books

Books written by Rooney:

''Conquerors' Peace; report to the American stockholders'', by Oram C. Hutton and Andrew A. Rooney. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1947.

''A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney'', 1981 (ISBN 0-689-11194-0)

''And More by Andy Rooney'', 1985 (ISBN 0-517-40622-5)

''Pieces of My Mind'', 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11492-3)

''The Most of Andy Rooney'', 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11864-3)

''Word for Word'', 1988 (ISBN 0-399-13200-7)

''Not That You Asked ...'', 1989 (ISBN 0-394-57837-6)

''Most of Andy Rooney'', 1990 (ISBN 0-88365-765-1)

''Sweet and Sour'', 1992 (ISBN 0-399-13774-2)

''My War'', 1997 (ISBN 0-517-17986-5)

''Sincerely, Andy Rooney'', 1999 (ISBN 1-891620-34-7)

''The Complete Andy Rooney'', 2000 (ISBN 0-446-11219-4)

''Common Nonsense'', 2002, (ISBN 1-586482-00-9)

''Years of Minutes'', 2003 (ISBN 1-58648-211-4)

''Out of My Mind'', 2006 (ISBN 1-58648-416-8)

''60 Years of Wisdom and Wit'', 2009 (ISBN 1-58648-773-6)

References

External links

CBS Biography

Archive of previous "A Few Minutes ..." segments

Snopes.com on Rooney E-Mail Snopes.com's article on false e-mail claims

Andy Rooney Interview at Archive of American Television

Category:1919 births Category:2011 deaths Category:American atheists Category:American humorists Category:American memoirists Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American television journalists Category:Colgate University alumni Category:Commentators Category:Deaths from surgical complications Category:People from Albany, New York Category:People from Norwalk, Connecticut Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal Category:United States Army personnel Category:United States Army soldiers Category:War correspondents Category:Writers from Connecticut Category:Writers from New York Category:Recipients of the Air Medal Category:60 Minutes correspondents da:Andy Rooney de:Andy Rooney id:Andy Rooney he:אנדי רוני no:Andy Rooney pt:Andy Rooney ru:Руни, Энди simple:Andy Rooney fi:Andy Rooney zh:安迪·魯尼

name	Aaron Spelling
birth date	April 22, 1923
birth place	Dallas, Texas
death date	June 23, 2006
death place	Los Angeles, California
spouse	Carolyn Jones (m.1953-1964; divorced) Candy Spelling (m.1968-2006; his death)
children	Tori Spelling Randy Spelling
relatives	Dean McDermott (son-in-law) Liam McDermott (grandson) Stella McDermott (granddaughter) Hattie McDermott (granddaughter)
occupation	Actor, singer, dancer, television producer }}

Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 – June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits. Forbes ranked him the 11th top-earning dead celebrity in 2009.

Early life

Spelling was born in Dallas, to Pearl (née Wald) and David Spelling (originally Spurling), a tailor, who were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland, respectively. Spelling had a brother, Daniel Spelling (died 2009), who lived in San Francisco, and who appeared on daughter Tori Spelling's television show ''Tori And Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood''.

At the age of 8, Spelling lost the use of his legs psychosomatically, due to trauma caused by constant bullying from his schoolmates, and was confined to bed for a year. During this time, he read a vast number of books, which stimulated his imagination.

Spelling attended Forest Avenue High School, during WWII he served in the United States Armed Forces, and later attended Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1949, where he was a cheerleader. He married actress Carolyn Jones in 1953, and they moved to California. They divorced in 1964. With his second wife, Candy Gene (née Marer), whom he married in 1968, he had two children, Randy Spelling and Tori Spelling.

Hollywood career and life

Spelling sold his first script to ''Jane Wyman Presents'' in 1954. That same year, he guest starred as a dogcatcher in the premiere episode of the CBS situation comedy, ''Willy'', starring June Havoc as a young lawyer in New Hampshire, who later relocates to New York City to represent a vaudeville troupe.

Spelling went on to write for Dick Powell, ''Playhouse 90'', and ''Last Man'', among others. Later, he also found work as an actor. Between 1956 and 1997 he played screen parts in twenty-two programs, including the first Brian Keith series, ''Crusader'', a Cold War drama, as well as ''I Love Lucy'' and ''Gunsmoke''. During the 1950s, Spelling joined Powell's Four Star Productions, through which he created Lloyd Bridges's anthology series, ''The Lloyd Bridges Show''.

After Powell's death, Spelling left Four Star Television in 1966, forming Thomas-Spelling Productions with Danny Thomas. Their first success was with the television show ''The Mod Squad''. In total, he wrote for fourteen television productions between 1957 and 1974, including several series with multiple episodes to his credit. Spelling and Thomas produced two 1960s series for Walter Brennan, both on ABC: ''The Tycoon''; and ''The Guns of Will Sonnett''. He also began a collaboration at that time with associate producer Shelley Hull, who, aside from ''Mod Squad'', worked with Spelling on ''The Rookies'' and ''Charlie's Angels''. Hull also worked with Spelling in 1976 on the successful ABC movie ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble'', starring a young John Travolta. Spelling directed only once, on "The Conchita Vasquez Story," a 1959 episode of ''Wagon Train''.

Spelling divorced Jones in 1965. In 1968, he married Carole Gene Marer, who took his name as Candy Spelling. He fathered Victoria Davey Spelling and Randall Gene Spelling, both of whom became actors as teenagers, as Tori and Randy Spelling, respectively. They appeared in several of their father's works, most notably on ''Beverly Hills, 90210''.

In 1969, Spelling created Spelling Television (then called Aaron Spelling Productions), and, three years later, formed another co-production company with Leonard Goldberg. Spelling took his own company public in 1986 as Spelling Entertainment, later buying the Taft Entertainment Company from Taft Broadcasting (except for the two animation studios part of the group), and George A. Romero's Laurel Entertainment. Spelling also produced the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach'' from 1997 to 1999, and in one of his few acting roles after the 1960s, played one of Bette's (Kathleen Noone) ex-husbands for one day in 1997.

Spelling continued expanding his entertainment holdings, buying Republic Pictures in 1994 – by the time his company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom, it had five main operating units: Republic Pictures served as the home video arm (though distribution was actually farmed out to other companies worldwide) and copyright holder for all the feature films in the Spelling library, TV production companies Spelling Television and Big Ticket Entertainment (the latter created in 1994 primarily to expand Spelling's output from just dramas), TV syndication distributor Worldvision Enterprises, and film production company Spelling Films.

Spelling also appeared as himself on 27 programs between 1992 and 2005. After 2000, Spelling rarely gave interviews, although he remained active as CEO and continued to give notes on productions. Daily control of the Spelling Television company was handled by his longtime producing and business partner E. Duke Vincent and company president Jonathan Levin.

In the late 1980s, Spelling bought the home and lot of Bing Crosby's former Los Angeles house. He demolished the property, and built a 123-room home, known as "The Manor", for the cost of US$11,000,000, which has of floor space and is the largest single-family dwelling in Hollywood (34°4'23"N 118°25'41"W). Spelling's widow listed the home in 2008 for $150,000,000. As of June 2011, the house is in contract to be sold to 22-year-old heiress Petra Ecclestone.

In 2004, Spelling was portrayed by Dan Castellaneta in the NBC TV movie ''Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels''. The following year, he was portrayed by Nicholas Hammond in the ABC TV movie ''Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure''.

On April 4, 2007, it was announced that ''7th Heaven'''s series finale on May 13, 2007 would be dedicated to Aaron Spelling. Every episode from Season 11 displayed these words at the beginning of the closing credits: "In memory of Aaron Spelling".

When ''7th Heaven'' ended its run, it was touted by the network as being Spelling's longest-running series and the longest-running "family drama" (i.e., suitable for family viewing) in US television history.

Notable works

Spelling worked in some capacity on almost 200 productions beginning with the ''Zane Grey Theatre'' in 1956. His most recognizable contributions to television include ''Charlie's Angels'', ''Dynasty'', ''Starsky and Hutch'', ''Family'', ''Hotel'', ''The Rookies'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', ''Melrose Place'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Vega$'', ''Hart to Hart'', ''The Colbys'', ''T.J. Hooker'', ''Nightingales'', ''Kindred: The Embraced'','' Sunset Beach'', ''7th Heaven'', ''Burke's Law'', ''Honey West'', ''The Mod Squad'', ''S.W.A.T.'' and ''Charmed''. His company also co-produced the David Lynch series ''Twin Peaks'' (although Spelling himself was not directly involved in its production).

He also produced the HBO miniseries ''And the Band Played On'', based on Randy Shilts's bestseller. The miniseries won an Emmy Award, Spelling's first.

Illness and death

In 2001, Spelling was diagnosed with oral cancer.

On June 18, 2006, Spelling suffered a severe stroke at The Manor, his estate in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California. He died there on June 23, 2006, from complications of the stroke, at the age of 83. A private funeral was held several days later, and Spelling was entombed in a mausoleum in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.

On August 27, 2006, Spelling was honored at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards by former employees Joan Collins, Stephen Collins, Heather Locklear, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.

References

External links

Aaron Spelling Obituary and Public Tributes

Aaron Spelling Archive of American Television Interview

Category:1923 births Category:2006 deaths Category:American Cinema Editors Category:American Jews Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:American television producers Category:Deaths from stroke Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:People from Dallas, Texas Category:Southern Methodist University alumni Category:United States Air Force airmen Category:GLAAD Media Award winners

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