Barbara Jill Walters (1929 - 2022)

Born 25 Sep 1929 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Dec 2022 at age 93 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Barbara Walters was a pioneering American broadcaster who was the first woman to anchor an evening news show in the United States, journalist, author, and television personality. A winner of 12 Emmy Awards, she began her career in 1961 on NBC's "Today" show. She retired in 2014 from ABC's "The View".^{[1] [2]}

Barbara Jill Walters was born on 25 September 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Louis "Lou" Walters (born Louis Abrahams) and Dena Seletsky. Her father worked in the night club business and had some shady connections, which led from the family rubbing elbows with rich and famous folks, causing Barbara to avoid much of the awe that suspends some new journalists, as she was used to being around them. Her father's activity caught up with him, and the family was stripped of much of its wealth, ending in Lou moving them to one of their homes in Florida, and then back and forth between New York and Miami Beach. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York in 1953 with an English degree.^[2]

Barbara's first husband was Robert Henry Katz on June 20, 1955 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The marriage was annulled eleven months later.^[2]

December 8, 1963, she married Lee Gruber. They divorced in 1976. They were unable to have children together, despite trying, and instead adopted a daughter, which they named for Barbara's sister.^[2]

Barbara married Merv Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Productions, in 1981, and then divorced in 1984. They remarried in 1986 and divorced again in 1992^[3][2]

Barbara was known for her ability to show a full picture of the person she was interviewling through the use of quirky questions, like in the case of her tree question with Katherine Hepburn. She also hit harder topics straight on, as in the questioning of Fidel Castro on his severe regime and Monica Lewinsky on her presidential affair. Because of this, she was well-respected and was able to procure interviews many others were unable to obtain, both with heroes and villaines alike.^[2]

Barbara died at her home in Manhattan, New York December 30, 2022.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20221231-us-journalist-barbara-walters-who-upended-male-dominated-tv-news-industry-dies-at-93
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Wikipedia contributors, "Barbara Walters," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbara_Walters&oldid=1132332016 (accessed January 9, 2023).
3. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115504125/wedding-plans-merv-adelson-and-barbara-w/

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q231417, en:Wikipedia
• "Barbara Walters and Geoffrey Canada," Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Season 1, Episode 3). PBS. 01 Apr 2012.
• CNN Obituary
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #247913679 (accessed 4 January 2023)
  Memorial page for Barbara Walters Famous memorial (25 Sep 1929-30 Dec 2022); Maintained by Find a Grave.

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