Mike Wallace Biography

Fast Facts

• During World War II, Wallace served his country as a naval comuncations officer
• Quote: "(On being offered the job of press secretary during Richard Nixon's presidential campaign but turning it down) "I thought very, very seriously about it․" I regarded him with great respect․ He was savvy, smart, hard working․""
• Quote: "(On speaking about his interview style) "[I walk] a fine line between sadism and intellectual curiosity․""
• Acted in the 1954 Broadway play "Reclining Figure․"
• Best known for his aggressive, award-winning jounalistic style on the long-running CBS TV news program "60 Minutes․"
• Was the first western reporter to interview the Ayatollah Khomeini after the American hostage crisis
• Had a friendship with Nancy Reagan and her family that spanned 75 years, long before she married Ronald Reagan
• Was called by Barbara Walters "The best interviewer in all of television, past, present and probably future․"