Ken Burns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Burns
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Burns in 2018
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Kenneth Lauren Burns
July 29, 1953 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Hampshire College (BA) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1970–present |
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Notable work
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| Relatives | Ric Burns (brother) |
Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker. He is famous for his many documentary films and TV series. These often tell stories about American history and culture. His work is usually shown on PBS, a public TV network.
Some of his most well-known series include The Civil War (1990) and Baseball (1994). He also made Jazz (2001) and The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). His films have won many awards, like Emmy Awards. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
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Early Life and Education
Ken Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 29, 1953. His mother, Lyla Smith Burns, was a biotechnician. His father, Robert Kyle Burns Jr., studied cultural anthropology. Ken's younger brother, Ric Burns, is also a documentary filmmaker.
His family moved often because of his father's studies and teaching. They lived in places like France, Delaware, and Michigan. Ken describes growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ken's mother became sick when he was three years old. She passed away when he was 11. He says this sad event helped shape his career. He loved history as a child and read a lot from the family encyclopedia.
When he turned 17, he received an 8 mm film camera. He used it to make a documentary about a factory in Ann Arbor. He finished Pioneer High School in 1971. Instead of going to a big university, he chose Hampshire College in Massachusetts. At Hampshire, students create their own study plans.
He worked in a record store to pay for his college. He studied film and design and learned from great photographers. He earned his degree in 1975.
Florentine Films Production Company
In 1976, Ken Burns started a film company called Florentine Films. He founded it with his college friends Elaine Mayes and Roger Sherman. The company is in Walpole, New Hampshire. Another friend, Buddy Squires, joined them later.
Each filmmaker at Florentine Films works on their own projects. But they all release their films under the Florentine Films name. Ken Burns's oldest daughter, Sarah, also works for the company.
Filmmaking Career Highlights
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Ken Burns first worked as a cinematographer for different TV networks. In 1977, he started making a documentary about the Brooklyn Bridge. This film, Brooklyn Bridge (1981), was nominated for an Academy Award. It was shown on PBS.
He developed a special style of filmmaking. He uses many still pictures and moves the camera slowly across them. He also adds narration from old writings, read by famous actors. This way of using still images is now sometimes called the "Ken Burns effect" in some computer programs.
After Brooklyn Bridge, he made The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984). He was nominated for another Oscar for The Statue of Liberty (1985). Ken often works with writer and historian Geoffrey C. Ward. They have made many films together, including The Civil War and The Vietnam War.
Burns has directed and produced many popular TV documentaries. His films cover many different topics. These include art (Thomas Hart Benton, 1988) and sports (Baseball, 1994). He has also made films about music (Jazz, 2001; Country Music, 2019). Other topics include history (Thomas Jefferson, 1997) and nature (The National Parks, 2009).
In 2007, Ken Burns agreed to keep making films for PBS for many years. He and his company have planned documentaries until at least 2030. These future films will cover topics like Muhammad Ali and the American Revolution.
Personal Life and Interests
In 1979, Ken Burns moved from New York City to Walpole, New Hampshire. He bought a house there. He believes moving to a small town helped him become successful.
In 1982, Ken married Amy Stechler. They had two daughters, Sarah and Lilly. Their marriage ended in 1993.
As of 2017[update], Ken Burns still lives in Walpole, New Hampshire. He married Julie Deborah Brown in 2003. They have two daughters together. Julie Deborah Brown started a non-profit group called Room to Grow. It helps babies in families who need support.
Ken Burns is a big fan of collecting quilts. Some of his quilts were shown in a museum in 2018. He also enjoys doing the New York Times crossword puzzle every day.
Awards and Recognitions
Ken Burns's films have won many awards. He has received two Oscar nominations, two Grammy Awards, and 15 Emmy Awards.
Some of his major awards include:
- 1982 nomination for Best Documentary Feature for Brooklyn Bridge.
- 1986 nomination for Best Documentary Feature for The Statue of Liberty.
- 1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series for Baseball.
- 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-fiction Series for The National Parks: America's Best Idea.
His film The Civil War won over 40 film and TV awards. These included two Emmys and two Grammys. It also won a Peabody Award and the Lincoln Prize.
In 1991, he received the National Humanities Medal. This is a high honor for achievements in the humanities. In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
There is even a Ken Burns Wing at Hampshire College. This is part of the Jerome Liebling Center for Film, Photography and Video.
Filmmaking Style
Ken Burns often uses simple music themes in his films. For example, The Civil War features a special violin melody called "Ashokan Farewell". This music helps set the mood for the film.
He is also known for bringing still photographs to life. He does this by slowly zooming in or out on parts of the picture. He also pans (moves the camera slowly) across the image. This technique is so famous that it's often called the "Ken Burns effect". You can find this effect in many photo and video editing programs.
Burns has said that his films are different from most fast-paced TV shows. He uses older techniques but puts them together in new and complex ways. He has also shared that he admires and is influenced by filmmaker Errol Morris.
Filmography
- Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
- The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984)
- The Statue of Liberty (1985)
- Huey Long (1985)
- Thomas Hart Benton (1988)
- The Congress (1988)
- The Civil War (1990; 9 episodes)
- Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1992)
- Baseball (1994; 9 episodes – updated with The Tenth Inning in 2010, with Lynn Novick)
- Thomas Jefferson (1997; 2 episodes)
- Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997)
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1998, with Lynn Novick)
- Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony (1999)
- Jazz (2001; 10 episodes)
- Mark Twain (2002)
- Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003)
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005; 2 episodes)
- The War (2007, with Lynn Novick; 7 episodes)
- The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009; 6 episodes)
- Prohibition (2011, with Lynn Novick; 3 episodes)
- The Dust Bowl (2012; 2 episodes)
- The Central Park Five (2012, with Sarah Burns and David McMahon)
- Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirit (2013)
- The Address (2014)
- The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014; 7 episodes)
- Jackie Robinson (2016, with Sarah Burns and David McMahon; 2 episodes)
- Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War (2016, with Artemis Joukowsky)
- The Vietnam War (2017, with Lynn Novick; 10 episodes)
- The Mayo Clinic: Faith – Hope – Science (2018, with Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers)
- Country Music (2019, 8 episodes)
- Hemingway (2021, with Lynn Novick; 3 episodes)
- Muhammad Ali (2021, with Sarah Burns and David McMahon; 4 episodes)
- Benjamin Franklin (2022, 2 episodes)
- The U.S. and the Holocaust (2022, 3 episodes, 7 hours total; produced and directed with the assistance of Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein)
- The American Buffalo (2023, 2 episodes)
- Leonardo da Vinci (2024, with Sarah Burns and David McMahon; 2 episodes)
Upcoming Films
- The American Revolution (2025)
- Henry David Thoreau (2025/2026, as Executive Producer)
- Emancipation to Exodus (2027, with David McMahon, Sarah Burns, and Erika Dilday)
- LBJ & the Great Society (2028, with Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein)
Short Films
These three short films are collected and distributed together as Seeing, Searching, Being: William Segal.
- William Segal (1992)
- Vezelay (1996)
- In the Marketplace (2000)
As an Executive Producer
- The West (1996) (directed by Stephen Ives)
- Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies (2015) (directed by Barak Goodman)
- Walden (short, 2017) (directed by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers)
- Country Music: Live at the Ryman, a Concert Celebrating the Film by Ken Burns (2019) (directed by Don Carr)
- College Behind Bars (2019) (directed by Lynn Novick)
- East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story (2020) (directed by Sarah Burns and David McMahon)
- The Gene: An Intimate History (2020) (directed by Chris Durrance and Jack Youngelson)
- Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness (2022) (directed by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers)
Acting Roles
Ken Burns has also appeared as himself in some TV shows and movies:
- Gettysburg (film; 1993) – Hancock's staff officer
- Clifford's Puppy Days – Season 1, episode 24a ("Lights, Camera, Action"; 2005) – self
- The Simpsons:
- Season 14, episode 10 ("Pray Anything"; 2003) - self/ did not voiced
- Season 22, episode 22 ("The Ned-liest Catch"; 2012) - self/ voiced
- Season 24, episode 1 ("Moonshine River"; 2012) – self/ voiced
- Season 30, episode 22 ("Woo-Hoo Dunnit?"; 2019) – self/ voiced
- Season 35, episode 4 ("Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story"; 2023) - self/ voiced
- The Mindy Project – Season 3, episode 11 ("Christmas"; 2014) – self/ voiced
- Difficult People – Season 2, episode 4 ("Blade Stallion"; 2016) – self/ voiced
See also
In Spanish: Ken Burns para niños
