Army Archerd Biography

Fast Facts

• Enlisted in the Navy during World War II and served as a deck officer on a Naval destroyer in the Pacific
• Received honors from the Hollywood Press Club, of which he was the founder and president, as well as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
• Graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1941
• Started out as an entertainment reporter for the Associated Press in 1945 before joining Daily Variety in 1953, when he began writing "Just for Variety․"
• Quote: "I was trained in the old style of the reporter․ You could really call up and say, 'Hold the front page․ I've got a story․' And I've carried that feeling even though I now have a daily column․"
• Best known as the columnist of "Just for Variety" who spent 50 years writing for the magazine and, in 2005, for the magazine's website
• Gained recognition after he became the first writer to print stories that actor Rock Hudson was being treated for AIDS
• Served as the co-host and co-producer of the "People's Choice Awards" since the event began in 1974
• Served as the official greeter for the Academy Awards ceremonies for 47 years
• After he printed a story in 1995 chastising Michael Jackson's use of anti-Jewish phrases in a song on his "HIStory" album, Jackson called him with a promise that he would re-record the song