Nancy Grace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Grace
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Grace at an event in October 2014
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| Born |
Nancy Ann Grace
October 23, 1959 Macon, Georgia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Mercer University (BA, JD) New York University (LLM) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Employer | Court TV (1996–2007) HLN (2005–2016) |
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Notable credit(s)
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Closing Arguments anchor (2004–2007) Nancy Grace anchor (2005–2016) |
| Spouse(s) |
David Linch
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 2 |
Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal expert and television journalist. From 2005 to 2016, she hosted Nancy Grace, a nightly news show on the channel HLN. She also hosted Closing Arguments on Court TV from 1996 to 2007.
Grace is known for her strong opinions on legal cases. She often discusses issues from the point of view of victims. Her direct and outspoken style has earned her both praise and criticism. Before her television career, she worked as a prosecutor in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Early Life and Education
Nancy Grace was born in Macon, Georgia. She was the youngest of three children. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a factory worker, and her father, Mac, worked for the Southern Railway.
Grace graduated from Windsor Academy in Macon in 1977. She first went to Valdosta State University and later earned a degree from Mercer University. In college, she loved Shakespeare's writing and planned to become an English professor. However, a personal tragedy changed her plans. When she was 19, her fiancé, Keith Griffin, was killed. This event inspired her to go to law school and become a prosecutor to help victims of crime.
Grace earned her law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. She later received a Master of Laws degree from New York University. She also worked for a federal judge and for the Federal Trade Commission, where she dealt with laws about business and consumer rights. For a time, she taught law at Georgia State University.
Career
Work as a Prosecutor
For nearly ten years, Grace worked as a Special Prosecutor in the Atlanta-Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney's office. She handled serious felony cases. She left this job when the District Attorney she worked for chose not to run for re-election.
During her time as a prosecutor, Grace faced criticism from higher courts. The Supreme Court of Georgia found that she had made mistakes in some cases. For example, in one case, a conviction was overturned because the court said Grace had withheld important evidence.
Broadcasting Career
After leaving the prosecutor's office, Grace was offered a job at Court TV. She co-hosted a legal commentary show with Johnnie Cochran. Later, she hosted her own trial coverage shows on Court TV, including Trial Heat and Closing Arguments.
In 2005, she began hosting her own show, Nancy Grace, on CNN Headline News (now HLN). She left Court TV in 2007 to focus on her HLN show. Her interviewing style was known for being direct and using lots of on-screen graphics.
From 2010 to 2011, Grace also hosted a courtroom reality show called Swift Justice with Nancy Grace. She left the show after its first season. In 2019, she began hosting a true-crime series on the Oxygen channel called Injustice with Nancy Grace.
Public Reception
Nancy Grace's strong opinions have often led to public debate. Some people praise her for standing up for victims. Others criticize her for being too quick to judge people involved in legal cases.
A 2011 article in The New York Times said that Grace often acted like a "judge-and-jury" on her show. Law professor Jonathan Turley stated that her style could damage the public's respect for the legal system.
Grace has also been involved in disagreements with other media figures. In one interview, she was questioned about her reporting style, which she later described as a very difficult experience.
Other Television and Film Appearances
Dancing with the Stars
In 2011, Grace was a contestant on the thirteenth season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Tristan MacManus. They competed for eight weeks and finished in fifth place.
Acting Roles
Grace has appeared as herself in several TV shows and movies. She was in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2007. She also appeared in two episodes of the comedy show Raising Hope in 2012. Grace also had a small part in the 2008 movie Hancock, starring Will Smith.
Books and Other Work
Grace has written several books. Her first book, Objection!, was published in 2005 and became a bestseller. It discussed her views on the criminal justice system.
She has also written fictional mystery novels. Her first novel, The Eleventh Victim, was released in 2009. It tells the story of a young student named Hailey Dean who becomes a prosecutor after a personal tragedy. This book was also a bestseller and was turned into a series of TV movies called Hailey Dean Mysteries.
Grace has also volunteered for many years at a center for battered women in Atlanta. Since 2017, she has hosted a daily podcast called "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace."
Personal Life
In 2007, Grace married David Linch, an investment banker from Atlanta. They had known each other since their time at Mercer University in the 1970s.
Later that year, Grace announced she was pregnant. Her twins, a daughter named Lucy Elizabeth and a son named John David, were born in November 2007.
In Popular Culture
Nancy Grace's unique style has often been parodied on television. The show Saturday Night Live has featured several sketches making fun of her show and her personality. She has been portrayed by cast members like Amy Poehler, Abby Elliott, Noel Wells, and Sarah Sherman.
The character of Ellen Abbot in the 2014 movie Gone Girl is believed to be based on Grace. Grace said she was "very flattered" by the portrayal and found it funny.
See also
In Spanish: Nancy Grace para niños
