Television Journalist Barbara Walters Dies at 93
Barbara Walters, a television broadcaster who paved the way for women in journalism, died on December 30, 2022. She was 93.
She was born in Boston, on September 25, 1929. Her older sister, Jacqueline, was born developmentally disabled. Walters graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1953.
Because her father was a nightclub producer and booking agent, young Barbara had the opportunity to meet many celebrities. This experience helped her to develop her confident interviewing style. She said, “I can have respect and admiration for famous people, but I have never had a sense of fear or awe.”
Walters was a fixture on television since her first appearance on NBC’s “Today” show in 1961. Her achievements since then make an impressive list.
She joined ABC News in 1976 as the first female evening news anchor, famously for a million-dollar salary. Over the years she appeared on “20/20” and “The View,” and she hosted many “Barbara Walters Specials” which featured notable world leaders and celebrities.
She interviewed every US president and first lady since Richard and Pat Nixon, as well as Anwar Sadat, Fidel Castro, Menachem Begin, Margaret Thatcher, and Vladimir Putin.
Her many accolades include 12 Emmy Awards, a Peabody, induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Walters acknowledged that she had trouble pronouncing the letter R — a fact highlighted by comedian Gilda Radner in her parody character, Baba Wawa, on “Saturday Night Live.”
When Walters decided to lighten her work schedule in recent years, she said, “How do you say goodbye to something like 50 years in television? How proud when I see all the young women who are making and reporting the news. If I did anything to help make that happen, that is my legacy.”
Walters was married four times, twice to the same man. She died at home, with loved ones; the cause of death has not been released. She is survived by her adopted daughter, Jackie, named after Walters’ sister.
Learn more about Barbara Walters in her own words.
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SOURCES
CBS News. “Barbara Walters, groundbreaking TV journalist, dies at 93.” CBS News, December 31, 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/barbara-walters-dies-age-93-groundbreaking-tv-journalist/
Fisher, Luchina and Hutchinson, Bill. “Barbara Walters, trailblazing TV icon, dies at 93.” ABC News, December 30, 2022, https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/barbara-walters-trailblazing-tv-icon-dies-93/story?id=41435083
Leopold, Todd, et al. “Barbara Walters, legendary news anchor, has died at 93.” CNN, December 31, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/30/entertainment/barbara-walters-death/index.html
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