Barbara Walters Died-First female network news anchor in US achieved a celebrity status on par with the rulers, royalty and entertainers she interviewed
Barbara Walters, one of the most iconic figures in US television journalism and a pioneering women to become a superstar-in-the-making in her own right, has died at the age of 93. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, DeWitt Wallace, who said he was “devastated.
ABC News anchor Barbara Walters, who rose to fame with the popular daytime talk show The View in 1997 and spent the next two decades creating and presenting some of television’s most memorable programs, died on Sunday, her employer said. Her death was announced by Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC News.
Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself,” Iger wrote.
She was a trailblazer of the media world. She set an example for women and broke stereotypes. Her publicist, Cindi Berger, said: “She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women.”
The View is proud to be part of the legacy of Barbara Walters, and we bring you a diverse daily panel discussion show that is distinguished by its honest, fearless, non-partisan dialogue. Each episode features an outrageous interview with one of the most interesting people in pop culture as well as lively conversation on politics, sports and current events. Hosted by hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, each week’s show features at least two women in the lead roles who generate lively and entertaining responses from audience members.
After nearly four decades with NBC, Walters is known on air as the anchor of “Today” and in the print media as the Princess of Pop Culture. But prior to her television stardom, Walters gained fame as an exclusive interviewee at CBS News where she reported on subjects like Princess Di and Nelson Mandela.
In this expansive and entertaining book, Walter recounts a series of conversations with world leaders who shaped history with their words, as well as their actions.
This first-hand account of the Kennedy years from a journalist who opened the doors to a country in crisis and then spent three decades investigating what happened behind closed doors. Known as “my Rose”—for the red, white, and blue dress that she wore the evening she met Jack Kennedy at the White House—Mrs. Shaw was there for every major event of her time as First Lady: covering his inauguration, the assassination of JFK, the Cuban missile crisis, and his diagnosis with polio. She also accompanied Jackie Kennedy on her diplomatic mission to India after Robert’s death.
She earned 12 Emmy awards, 11 of those while at ABC News, the network said.
The oldest person to be elected president, Walter Johnson Walters’ life has been marked by adventure. After graduating from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, he lectured at the university for 17 years. A lifetime member of Mensa, he was a contributing editor to National Geographic magazine for many years, before becoming a full-time photographer for Life Magazine for more than 20 years.
Not everyone liked Rosemary Walter. As a reporter, video and stage actress, singer and dancer, Walter was known for her Hollywood connections. But in the 1960s she was sent to the French Riviera to cover the trial of General de Gaulle’s daughter for the Los Angeles Times. Her interview with Hepburn was considered one of her greatest pieces.
Walters pointed out that she only asked because Hepburn had first compared herself to a tree.
Walters was not one to be easily put off by political opponents and she was never afraid to ask tough questions. After one meeting with Yeltsin, Walters told the New York Times that she had asked him “if he drank too much, and I asked Putin if he killed anybody. Both answered no.”
Walter began her journalism career on NBC’s Today Show in 1961 as a writer and segment producer. She became a regular on the program in 1964 and began getting air time with feature stories – such as a report on her one-day stint as a Playboy bunny.
In 1976, Walters became the first woman to anchor a network newscast. Today, several women in news continue to build their careers in this same role.
In the early days of the Today Show, Meredith Vieira received an interview from NBC News legend Larry Meiller. Guests had to be vetted in advance and would have to wait for a long time for questions to be asked. Her annoyance with Walters’ presence was palpable.
In a recent interview with the San Francisco Examiner, Walters said she was subjected to vicious behavior by two male coworkers. “For a long time, I couldn’t talk about that time without tears in my eyes,” said Walters. “It was so awful to walk into that studio every day where no one would talk to me.”
I had many opportunities to speak with her. This reporter was legendary, not only as she competed – not just with female competitors and rival networks – but with colleagues at her own network. Her drive and persistence were legendary. She was known as “The Queen of Interviewing” in New York City – by male rivals, among others – and she never gave up even when it seemed impossible to get “a shot at the boss.
Barbara Walters is one of America’s most recognizable journalists, with a career that spans five decades and more than 1,000 interviews that she has conducted with political leaders, Hollywood stars and other noteworthy figures. She has covered the White House for ABC News since 1972 and currently hosts the ABC Evening News each weeknight at 6:30 p.m.
Rosemarie Tandler is a rare combination of interviewer, entertainer and producer. She hosted the first pre-Oscars interview program in Hollywood and was named one of “People Magazine’s” most fascinating people. For 29 years she also conducted in-depth interviews with Hollywood stars as well as everyday folks who were at the center of major events.
“I never imagined that [I would be] a television writer,” she said in 2004. “I always thought I’d be a writer for television. I never even thought that I would have my own show — I just wanted to write. But nonetheless, it was an amazing opportunity and an amazing experience.
But she was a natural on camera, especially when plying notables with questions.
“I’m not afraid when I’m interviewing, I have no fear,” Walters told Associated Press in 200.