Barbara Jill Walters was an American broadcast journalist and television personality who was professionally known as Barbara Walters. She hosted ABC’s “20/20” and “The View”. Known for her distinctive voice, she had advertised for Welch’s and interviewed many celebrities and world leaders. Highly acclaimed for her exceptional interviewing ability and journalistic standards, Barbara was the first woman ever to acquire the title ‘co-host’ for any news program. She was also noted for her candid, no-nonsense style of speaking and was known to never mince words even when speaking about sensitive issues. Walters became known for an annual special aired on ABC, “Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People”. As well, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. Unfortunately, we lost her on 30th December 2022.
Barbara Walters famous for
- She was an American broadcast journalist and television personality.
- She aired on ABC, “Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People”.
Where did Barbara Walters grow up?
Barbara Walters stepped for the very first time into the world on 25th September 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Her real name was Barbara Jill Walters, and her religion was Christianity. Being born in the U.S., she was American by nationality and mixed by ethnicity as her parents were children of Russian Jewish emigrants. Barbara lastly celebrated her 93rd birthday in 2022 and as per her birthdate, her zodiac sign was Libra. She was the daughter of her mother, Dena (nee Seletsky), and her father, Lou Walters (born Louis Abraham Warmwater). She had four siblings named, Jacqueline Walters, Walda Walters Anderson, and Burton Walters.
Moving to Barbara’s education, she attended Lawrence School which she left halfway through fifth grade when her father moved the family to Miami Beach in 1939. She then continued attending public school in Miami Beach. After her father moved the family to New York City, Walters spent eighth grade at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, after which the family moved back to Miami Beach. She then went back to New York City, where she attended Birch Wathen School, graduating in 1947. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sarah Lawrence College in 1951 in Yonkers, New York.
Barbara Walters New Anchor Career
- Barbara Walters kicked off her career at a small advertising agency in New York City and began working at the NBC network affiliate WNBT-TV (now WNBC).
- She then produced a 15-minute children’s program, “Ask the Camera” in 1953 and went to WPIX to produce the “Eloise McElhone Show”, which was canceled in 1954.
- In 1955, she became a writer on “The Morning Show” at CBS after which she joined NBC’s “The Today Show” as a writer and researcher in 1961.
- She hosted her own local NBC affiliate show, “Not for Women Only” in 1971 and became the first female co-host of a U.S. news program.
- She signed a five-year, $5 million contract with ABC as well as Barbara and Harry Reasoner co-anchored the “ABC Evening News” from 1976 to 1978, making her the first U.S. female network news anchor.
- She also reunited with former “The Today Show” host Downs on the ABC newsmagazine “20/20” in 1979 and first aired her highly-rated, occasional, primetime “Barbara Walters Specials” interview program in 1976.
- She landed a joint interview with Egypt’s president, Anwar Al Sadat, and Israel’s Prime Minister, Menachem Begin in November 1977.
- Later, “Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People” was aired annually starting in 1993 as well as she was a co-host of the daytime talk show “The View”; she was also a co-creator and co-executive producer.
- On 15th May 2014, she retired from being a co-host and returned as a guest co-host on an intermittent basis in 2014 and 2015 even in retirement.
- After her retirement, she remained a part-time contributor of special programming and interviews for ABC News until 2016.
- It was announced on 10th June 2014 that she was “coming out of retirement” for a special “20/20” interview with Peter Rodger as she hosted special 20/20 episodes featuring interviews with Mary Kay Letourneau and Donald and Melania Trump in 2015.
- In 2014 and 2015, she continued to host “10 Most Fascinating People” on ABC.
- Barbara’s last on-air interview was with Donald Trump for ABC News in December 2015, and she made her final public appearance in 2016.
- Besides, ABC ran a special called “Our Barbara” on 1st January 2023 and “20/20” senior producer noted, “For a number of years we kept her office just as is (after 2016), the papers came every day. Outside of her office she still retained her office extension.”
Bibliography
- Barbara wrote a magazine article, “How to Talk to Practically Anyone About Practically Anything” in the late 1960s as well as she published the book “How to Talk with Practically Anybody About Practically Anything” in 1970.
- She published her other autobiography, “Audition: A Memoir”, in 2008.
Awards and Achievements
- 1985: Paul White Award, Radio Television Digital News Association
- 1975 Award for Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host
- 2003 Award for Best Talk Show
- 2009 Award for Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host
- NAACP Image Award for Best Talk Series
- 1998 Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works
- 1991 Golden Plate Award presented by Awards Council member Beverly Sills.
Who was Barbara Walters’s Husband?
Barbara Walters was a married woman as she tied the knot four times to three different men. She first exchanged vows with her first husband, Robert Henry Katz, a business executive, and former Navy lieutenant on 20th June 1955. The marriage was reportedly annulled after eleven months, in 1957. She then married her second husband, Lee Guber who was a theatrical producer and theater owner on 8th December 1963 and divorced in 1976. The couple adopted a baby girl named Jacqueline Dena Guber (born in 1968 and adopted the same year; she was named for Walters’ sister) after Barbara had three miscarriages. Her third husband was Merv Adelson who at the time was the CEO of Lorimar Television. They married in 1981 and divorced in 1984. The pair remarried in 1986 and divorced for the second time in 1992. In 2013, Barbara said she regretted not having more children. Moreover, she dated several guys including, Roy Cohn, Alan Greenspan, Robert Neil Butler, and Edward Brooke. Concerning her sexual orientation, she was straight.
Barbara Walters’ cause of death
Barbara Walters who was the pioneering TV journalist whose interviewing skills made her one of the most prominent figures in broadcasting, died on 30th December 2022 at her home in Manhattan. Her spokesperson confirmed to CNN. She was 93. “Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists but for all women,” Walters’ spokesperson Cindi Berger told CNN in a statement.
Moreover, in May 2010, Barbara said that she would be having an open heart operation to replace a faulty aortic valve. She needed heart valve replacement surgery to repair a valve that had become ‘tighter and smaller’ however she didn’t mention which heart valve, although an ABC news story pinpoints the aortic valve as the faulty one. Finally, she went public on Monday when she announced on “The View” that she will undergo surgery to replace the faulty heart valve later this week.
“You know how I always say to you how healthy I am. … I’ve never missed a day’s work,” she began. “Later this week, I’m going to have surgery to replace one faulty heart valve. Lots of people have done this, and I have known about this condition for a while now.” She had known that she was suffering from aortic stenosis, even though she was symptom-free. Four days after the operation, her spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, said that the procedure to fix the faulty heart valve “went well, and the doctors are very pleased with the outcome”.
How Barbara Walters earned a massive net worth?
Barbara Walters had a net worth of $170 million at the time of her death (2022). She also earned a handsome amount of salary which was around $700,000 per year. With a tremendous amount of net worth, she was living a lavish and luxurious life. She had achieved huge fame and success as well as had the access to all the world’s luxury and comfort. In addition, her major source of income was her broadcast journalist and television personality career. Barbara had done endorsement work for several brands from where she gained a fine amount of money.
Barbara Walters Height and Weight
Barbara Walters was 5 ft 5 in / 165 cm tall and her body weighed around 126 lb / 57 kg. She had good-looking blonde hair and dark brown eyes color. She had the perfect body combined with good looks. Furthermore, her body build type was slim and her body measurements were 34-26-32 inches.
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