new york (ap) -
cbs newsman mike wallace, dogged, merciless reporter , interviewer took on politicians, celebrities , other public figures in 60-year career highlighted on-air confrontations helped make "60 minutes" successful prime-time television news program ever, has died.
93.
wallace died saturday night, cbs spokesman kevin tedesco said. on cbs' "face nation," host bob schieffer said wallace died @ care facility in new canaan had lived in recent years.
until slowed heart surgery neared 90th birthday in 2008, wallace continued making news, doing "60 minutes" interviews such subjects jack kevorkian , roger clemens. had promised still occasional reports when announced retirement regular correspondent in march 2006.
wallace said had long vowed retire "when toes turn up" , "they're beginning curl trifle. ... it's become apparent me eyes , ears, among other appurtenances, aren't quite used be."
among later contributions, after bowing out regular, may 2007 profile of gop presidential hopeful mitt romney, , interview kevorkian, assisted suicide doctor released prison in june 2007 died june 3, 2011, @ age 83.
in december 2007, wallace landed first interview clemens after star pitcher implicated in mitchell report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball. interview,in clemens maintained innocence, broadcast in january 2008.
wallace first man hired when late cbs news producer don hewitt put staff of "60 minutes" @ inception in 1968. show wasn't hit @ first, worked way top 10 in 1977-78 season , remained there, season after season, wallace 1 of mainstays. among other things, proved there big profits in tv journalism.
top 10 streak broken in 2001, in part due onset of huge-drawing rated reality shows. "60 minutes" remained in top 25 in recent years, ranking 15th in viewers in 2010-11 season.
show pioneered use of "ambush interviews," reporter , camera crew corralling alleged wrongdoers in parking lots, hallways, wherever comment - or @ least stricken expression - might harvested dodging reporters' phone calls.
such tactics phased out on time - wallace said provided drama not information.
, style never surprise, anyway. wallace master of skeptical follow-up question, coaxing prey "forgive me, ..." or simple, "come on." known 1 did homework, spending hours preparing interviews, , alongside exposes, "60 minutes" featured insightful talks celebrities , world leaders.
equally tough on public , private behavior. in 1973, watergate scandal growing, sat top nixon aide john ehrlichman , read long list of alleged crimes, money laundering obstructing justice. "all of this, wallace noted, "by law , order administration of richard nixon."
surly ehrlichman respond: "is there question in there somewhere?"
in 1990s, wallace reduced barbra streisand tears scolded being "totally self-absorbed" when young , mocked decades of psychoanalysis. "what is trying find out takes 20 years?" wallace said wondered.
"i'm slow learner," streisand told him.
late colleague harry reasoner once said, "there 1 thing mike can better else: angelic smile, can ask question else smashed in face."
wallace said didn't think had unfair advantage on interview subjects: "the person i'm interviewing has not been subpoenaed. he's in charge of himself, , lives subject matter every day. i'm armed research."
wallace himself became dramatic character in several projects, stage version of "frost/nixon," when played stephen rowe, 1999 film "the insider," based in part on 1995 "60 minutes" story tobacco industry whistle-blower jeffrey wigand, accused brown & williamson of intentionally adding nicotine cigarettes. christopher plummer starred wallace , russell crowe wigand. wallace unhappy film, in portrayed caving pressure kill story wigand.
operating on tip, new york times reported "60 minutes" planned excise wigand's interview tobacco expose. cbs said wigand had signed nondisclosure agreement former company, , network feared airing had say, "60 minutes" sued along him.
day times story appeared, wallace downplayed gutted story "a momentary setback." sharpened tone. leading revised report when aired, made no bones "we cannot broadcast critical information tobacco, addiction , public health (wigand) might able offer." then, in "personal note," told viewers , "60 minutes" colleagues "dismayed management @ cbs had seen fit give in perceived threats of legal action."
full report broadcast.
wallace maintained hectic pace after cbs waived long-standing rule requiring broadcasters retire @ 65. in 1999, @ age 80, added line resume appearing on network's spinoff, "60 minutes ii." (a similar concession granted wallace's longtime colleague, don hewitt, in 2004, @ age 81, relinquished reins executive producer; died in 2009.)
wallace amassed 21 emmy awards during career, 5 dupont-columbia journalism , 5 peabody awards.
in all, television career spanned 6 decades, of spent @ cbs. in 1949, appeared myron wallace in show called "majority rules." in 1950s, announcer , game show host programs such "what's in word?" found time act in 1954 broadway play, "reclining figure," directed abe burrows.
in mid-1950s came smoke-wreathed "night beat," series of one-on-one interviews elderly frank lloyd wright young henry kissinger began on local tv in new york , appeared on abc network. show first brought wallace fame hard-boiled interviewer, "mike malice" gave subjects slack.
wrote coronet magazine in 1957: "wallace's interrogation had intensity of third degree, candor of psychoanalytic session. nothing had ever been known on tv. ... wallace, no guest sacred, , frankly dotes on controversy."
sample "night beat" exchange, colorful restaurateur toots shor. wallace: "toots, why people call slob?" shor: "me? jiminy crickets, `musta' been talking jackie gleason."
in days, wallace said, "interviews , large virtual minuets. ... nobody dogged, nobody pushed." said why "night beat" "got attention hadn't been given interview broadcasts before."
@ around wallace did bit tv newsman in 1957 hollywood drama "a face in crowd," starred andy griffith small-town southerner becomes political phenomenon through folksy television appearances. 2 years later, wallace helped create "the hate hate produced," highly charged program nation of islam helped make national celebrity out of malcolm x , later criticized biased , inflammatory.
after holding variety of other news , entertainment jobs, including serving advertising pitchman cigarette brand, wallace became full-time newsman cbs in 1963.
said death of 19-year-old son, peter, in accident in 1962 made him decide stick serious journalism on. (another son, chris, followed father , became broadcast journalist, fox news channel anchor.)
wallace had short stint reporting vietnam, , took sock in jaw while covering tumultuous 1968 democratic convention in chicago. didn't fit stereotype of eastern liberal journalist. close friend of reagans , once offered job of richard nixon's press secretary. called politics moderate.
1 "night beat" interview resulted in libel suit, filed police official angry on remarks him mobster mickey cohen. wallace said abc settled lawsuit $44,000, , called time money had been paid plaintiff in suit in involved.
publicized lawsuit against him retired gen. william c. westmoreland, sought $120 million 1982 "cbs reports" documentary, "the uncounted enemy: vietnam deception." westmoreland dropped libel suit in february 1985 after long trial. lawyers each side later said legal costs of suit totaled $12 million, of $9 million paid cbs.
wallace once said case brought on depression put him in hospital more week. "imagine sitting day after day in courtroom hearing called every vile name imaginable," said.
in 1996, appeared before senate's special committee on aging urge more federal funds depression research, saying had felt "lower, lower, lower snake's belly" had recovered through psychiatry , antidepressant drugs. later disclosed once tried commit suicide during dark period. wallace, columnist art buchwald , author william styron friends commiserated enough depression call "the blues brothers," according 2011 memoir styron's daughter, alexandra.
wallace called 1984 book, written gary paul gates, "close encounters." described "one lucky man's encounters growing professionally."
in 2005, brought out memoir, "between , me."
among interviewing him book son chris, "fox news sunday." son asked: understand why people feel disaffection mainstream media?
"they think they're wide-eyed commies. liberals," elder wallace replied, notion dismissed "damned foolishness."
wallace born myron wallace on may 9, 1918, in brookline, mass. began news career in chicago in 1940s, first radio news writer chicago sun , reporter wmaq.
started @ cbs in 1951.
married 4 times. in 1986, wed mary yates wallace, widow of close friend , colleague, ted yates, had died in 1967. besides wife, wallace survived son, chris, stepdaughter, pauline dora, , stepson eames yates.
wife declined comment sunday.
copyright 2012 associated press. rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...dgbl7q?docid=fba965a6c2db47b3a4a2c89612ff96e5
a very...um...complete obit.
2 more paragraphs , hard cover biography.
1 of proponents , practitioners of "gotcha" journalism. had interesting career, @ time when news still news...and not daily, extended reports on lindsay lohan.
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