Legendary TV Personality and ‘The View’ Creator Barbara Walters Dies at 93
Barbara Walters, the first woman to co-anchor a TV network’s evening news show and the creator of ‘The View,’ has died at the age of 93.
TV Journalist Barbara Walters Dies at 93.
The first woman to co-anchor a network evening newscast and the creator of ‘The View,’ Barbara Walters has died at the age of 93.
A television fixture since the early ‘60s, when she began writing and producing NBC’s ‘Today,’ Walters became the first woman to front a network morning news show, when she became co-host of ‘Today’ in 1974. Two years later, she was paid one million dollars per year to co-host ‘ABC Evening News’ alongside Harry Reasoner. Though her tenure on the show was brief, Walters launched the first of her ‘The Barbara Walters Specials’ that same year, interviewing such politicians and celebrities as Jimmy Carter, Barbra Streisand, and Muhammad Ali.
From 1979 to 2004, Walters produced and co-hosted ABC’s newsmagazine ‘20/20.’ Known for her interviews with high-profile figures who rarely gave them – and a distinctive vocal style that was memorably parodied on ‘Saturday Night Live’ by Gilda Radner – Walters interviewed every sitting U.S. President, as well as world figures like Fidel Castro, Anwar Sadat, and Vladimir Putin. Her countless celebrity interviews were featured in her annual ABC special ‘Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People.’
Gilda Radner as Barbara Walters on 'Saturday Night Live.'
Today’s TV audiences may know Walters best as the creator, producer, and co-host of ‘The View,’ on which she appeared from 1997 until her retirement in 2014. After retiring, Walters continued to appear on ‘20/20’ and hosted the documentary series ‘Investigation Discovery.’
According to Deadline, Walters “is survived by a daughter, Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Danforth, with her second husband Lee Guber, a producer with whom she was married in 1963 and divorced in 1976. Walters’ first marriage, to Robert Henry Katz in 1955, was annulled two years later. Walters also was married twice to real estate developer and producer Merv Adelson, divorcing for the second time in 1992.”
Two tribute specials honoring Walters are now available to watch on Hulu: ABC’s ‘Our Barbara: A Special Edition of 2020’ and ABC News Live’s ‘The View Honors Barbara Walters.’
TV Journalist Barbara Walters Dies at 93.
