Mike Wallace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Wallace
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Wallace in 1997
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| Born |
Myron Leon Wallace
May 9, 1918 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | April 7, 2012 (aged 93) New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | University of Michigan (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1939–2008 |
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Notable credit(s)
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60 Minutes (1968–2008) |
| Spouse(s) |
Norma Kaphan
(m. 1940; div. 1948)Buff Cobb
(m. 1949; div. 1955)Lorraine Périgord
(m. 1955; div. 1986)Mary Yates
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 2, including Chris Wallace |
Myron Leon Wallace (born May 9, 1918 – died April 7, 2012) was a famous American journalist. He was also a game show host and an actor. Mike Wallace interviewed many important people during his long career, which lasted for 70 years.
He was one of the first reporters on the CBS news show 60 Minutes. This show started in 1968. Wallace stopped being a full-time reporter in 2006. However, he still appeared on the show sometimes until 2008. His son, Chris Wallace, is also a well-known journalist. Mike Wallace interviewed many famous people. These included politicians like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. He also interviewed artists like Salvador Dalí and musicians like Barbra Streisand.
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Early Life and Education
Mike Wallace was born on May 9, 1918. His birth name was Myron Wallik. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. His parents were immigrants from Russia. His family was Jewish, and he always felt connected to his Jewish background. His father worked as a grocer and also sold insurance.
Wallace went to Brookline High School. He finished high school in 1935. Four years later, he graduated from the University of Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree there. While he was a college student, he worked as a reporter for the Michigan Daily newspaper. He was also part of a student group called Zeta Beta Tau.
Mike Wallace's Career Journey
Mike Wallace had a very long and interesting career. He worked in radio and television. He was known for his tough interviews.
Starting in Radio in the 1930s and 1940s
Wallace first appeared on a radio quiz show in 1939. This was while he was still in college. After graduating, he worked at a radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was a newscaster there. In 1940, he moved to Detroit and worked as an announcer. Later, he became a freelance radio worker in Chicago.
In 1943, Wallace joined the United States Navy. He served during World War II. He was a communications officer on a ship. He traveled to places like Hawaii and the Philippines. He did not see any combat during the war. After the war, in 1946, Wallace went back to Chicago. He announced for several radio shows. He also worked for the CBS radio network.
Moving to Television in the 1940s and 1950s
In 1949, Wallace started working in television. He starred in a police drama called Stand By for Crime. In the 1950s, Wallace hosted many game shows. Some of these were The Big Surprise and Who Pays?. At that time, it was common for news reporters to also host game shows. Wallace also hosted a pilot episode for the show To Tell the Truth. He sometimes appeared as a panelist on that show too.
Wallace also hosted two late-night interview shows. These were Night Beat and The Mike Wallace Interview. In 1959, Wallace and Louis Lomax made a documentary. It was about the Nation of Islam group. The documentary was called The Hate That Hate Produced. This show helped many people learn about the group for the first time.
In the early 1960s, Wallace hosted the Biography series. After his older son passed away in 1962, Wallace decided to focus more on news. He hosted an early version of CBS Morning News from 1963 to 1966. In 1964, he interviewed Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a famous civil rights leader.
Becoming a Star on 60 Minutes
Wallace became the main reporter for 60 Minutes. This show made him very famous. He was known for asking tough questions. In 1989, he interviewed President Ronald Reagan.
In 2006, Mike Wallace announced he was retiring from 60 Minutes. He had been with the show for 37 years. He still worked for CBS News sometimes as a "Correspondent Emeritus." This meant he was a special reporter who worked less often. In 2006, he interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His last interview for CBS was in 2008. It was with baseball star Roger Clemens.
Wallace's health started to decline after 2006. In 2008, his son Chris said that his father would not be returning to television. Wallace later said he wished he had been able to interview First Lady Pat Nixon.
Mike Wallace's Family Life
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Mike Wallace had two children with his first wife, Norma Kaphan. His younger son, Chris Wallace, became a journalist too. His older son, Peter, died in a mountain-climbing accident in Greece in 1962. Peter was 19 years old.
From 1949 to 1954, Wallace was married to his second wife, Patrizia "Buff" Cobb. She was an actress. They hosted a show together called Mike and Buff Show.
He was married to his third wife, Lorraine Perigord, from 1955 until 1986. In 1986, he married his fourth wife, Mary Yates. She was the widow of one of his good friends. Besides his two sons, Wallace also had a stepdaughter and two stepsons.
For many years, Wallace struggled with depression. He wrote about it in an article for Guideposts magazine. He said he had days when he felt sad. His condition got worse in 1984. This was after a lawsuit was filed against him and CBS. The lawsuit was about a documentary he worked on. Wallace was diagnosed with clinical depression. He received treatment and kept his depression a secret for a while. Later, he shared his story in an interview.
Wallace had a pacemaker for many years. He also had heart surgery in 2008. He lived in a care facility for the last few years of his life. In 2011, Larry King visited him. King said Wallace was in good spirits, but his health was getting worse. Wallace considered himself a political moderate. He was friends with Nancy Reagan and her family.
Mike Wallace's Passing
Mike Wallace passed away at his home in New Canaan, Connecticut. He died from natural causes on April 7, 2012. He was 93 years old. The night after he died, his colleague Morley Safer announced his death on 60 Minutes. On April 15, 2012, an entire episode of 60 Minutes was dedicated to remembering Mike Wallace's life and career.
Awards and Honors for Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace received many awards for his journalism. In 1989, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. This was from the University of Pennsylvania. He won 21 Emmy Awards. One Emmy was for an investigation into a smallpox program. He also won three Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards. He received three George Foster Peabody Awards too.
In September 2003, Wallace received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. This was his 20th Emmy award. In October 2007, he received the University of Illinois Prize. This award was for his lifetime achievement in journalism.
- 1991: Paul White Award, Radio Television Digital News Association
- 1999: Gerald Loeb Award for an investigative report on the international pharmaceutical industry.
Mike Wallace in Movies and TV Shows
Mike Wallace has been played by actors in several films and TV shows.
- In the 1999 movie The Insider, actor Christopher Plummer played Wallace.
- In the 1957 film A Face in the Crowd, Wallace played himself.
- In 2020, Greg Dehm played Wallace in an episode of Manhunt. This episode showed Wallace's 1996 interview with Richard Jewell.
Books About Mike Wallace
- Rader, Peter. Mike Wallace: A Life. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012.
- Close Encounters: Mike Wallace's Own Story. New York: William Morrow, 1984 (co-written with Gary Paul Gates).
- Between You and Me: A Memoir. New York: Hyperion, 2005 (co-written with Gary Paul Gates).
See also
In Spanish: Mike Wallace para niños
- The Hate That Hate Produced
- The Mike Wallace Interview
- Mike Wallace Is Here, a 2019 documentary film about him.
- Westmoreland v. CBS
