Andrew Rooney Biography

Fast Facts

• Was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal for his service as a war correspondent in combat zones during World War II
• Attended the Albany Academy and Colgate University in upstate New York
• After getting drafted into the U․S․ Army in 1941, began writing for Stars and Stripes, the independent newspaper operating within the Defense Department
• In 1978, became a Sunday night TV staple with his "60 Minutes" segment "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney․"
• Joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts," which reached number one in TV ratings in 1952, and wrote for "The Gary Moore Show" for over six years
• Started work as a producer on the CBS series "60 Minutes" during the show's first few seasons, also writing two CBS News specials as part of the series "Of Black America․"
• Wrote a regular column for Tribune Media Services
• In 1943, was one of seven correspondents who flew on the second American bombing raid over Germany and was one of the first American journalists to visit and write about the German Nazi concentration camps
• Resigned from CBS when the network refused to air the news special "An Essay on War," though he returned to the network a few years later working as a writer, producer and narrator for the series