Andy Rooney

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Biography

Recent Role:
Feature Subject on 60 Minutes
Gender:
Male
Born:
1-14-1919
Birthplace:
Albany, New York
Birth Name:
Andrew Aitken Rooney
AKA:
Andrew A. Rooney, Andy Rooney
Rooney is known to millions for his wry, humorous and sometimes controversial essays that have been the signature end piece of 60 Minutes for decades.

The 2003-04 season marks Rooney's 26th doing these unique reports, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney," which became a regular feature on 60 minutes in 1978. He's won three Emmy Awards for the essays, which now number more than 800; he was just awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.

Rooney has always considered himself a writer who appears on television; in addition to his 60 Minutes essays, he has written a national



… More newspaper column for Tribune Media Services since 1979, published articles in major magazines, and is the author of 13 books, the most recent, Common Nonsense, published in 2002 by PublicAffairs.

Rooney's rich body of work was recognized by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists when he was presented with its Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award (June 2003). "Ernie Pyle's life and work eloquently captured the hopes and aspirations of the common man... Andy Rooney's work is in that fine tradition," said the society's president. Rooney was a friend of Pyle, the famous World War II correspondent who was felled by a sniper in the war.

"The most felicitous nonfiction writer in television" is how Time magazine once described Rooney, who has won the Writers Guild Award for Best Script of the year six times, more than any writer in the history the medium.

Rooney wrote his first television essay, a longer-length precursor of the type he does on 60 Minutes, in 1964, "An Essay on Doors." From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with the late CBS News correspondent Harry Reasoner - Rooney writing and producing, Reasoner narrating on such - notable CBS News specials as "An Essay on Women" (1967), "An Essay on Chairs" (1968) and "The Strange Case of the English Language" (1968). "An Essay of War" (1971) won Rooney his third Writers Guild Award. In 1968, he wrote two CBS News specials in the series "Of Black America." His script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed" won his first Emmy.

Rooney was a 60 Minutes producer for Harry Reasoner during the broadcast's first few seasons.

He also wrote, produced and narrated a series of broadcasts for CBS News on various aspects of America and American Life, including "Mr. Rooney goes to Washington," for which he won a Peabody Award, "Andy Rooney Takes Off,""Mr. Rooney Goes to Work" and "Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner."

Rooney joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for "Authur Godfrey's Talent Scouts," a top-ten hit that was number one in 1952. He also wrote for "The Gary Moore Show" (1959-65), helping it to achieve hit status as a top-20 program. At the same time, he wrote for CBS News public affairs broadcasts such as "The Twentieth Century,"" News of America,""Adventure,""Calendar" and "The Morning Show with Will Rogers Jr."

Rooney's other books are: Air Gunner; The Story of The Stars and Stripes; Conquerors' Peace; The Fortunes of War; A Few Minutes of Andy Rooney; And More by Andy Rooney; Pieces of My Mind; Word for Word; Not That You Asked...; Sweet and Sour; My War; and Sincerely, Andy Rooney.

He attended Colgate University until he was drafted into the Army in 1941. In February 1943, he was one of six correspondents who flew with the Eighth Air Force on the first American bombing raid over Germany.

Rooney and his wife, Marguerite, live in Rowayton, Connecticut. They have four children.

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  •  
    2.5 Terrible
    Andy should, but he won't, see what the people of the us think about what the Pres. is doing. I am sorry to say I will nolonger listen to Andy as he is just another main stream reporter saying what he is told to say. Goodby. hide show

    Last time I will listen to Andy as his stance on Obama is wrong. This President is the worst President in History of the United States of America. He is out to destroy our nation. He puts us down on everything we do. He has no sense as to what the American people think. He puts people in charge, that we the people cannot vote on. He violats the constitution in his actions. The black people of the US have been taken in and are racist. We the people are waiting to show him the door. We the people will not be controlled and we have the right and are doing so by keeping our guns ready.

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    famoster Added Nov 14, 2010 All my reviews
  •  
    6.5 Fair
    Not all people are happy with Obama, it is just not reported. hide show

    Not all people are happy with Obama, it is just not reported. Tim Geithner is only one reason I have problems with the current administrations. People who would not have been consider 4 years ago are now confirmed as must haves. The biggest problem is with congress. The media is reporting the good about people they like and making the others sound bad. I really do not want to write an essay here. Just want to say everyone is not happy with the new president and his administration. I want to see more back out checks and more reporting.

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    anniedragon Added Jan 25, 2009 All my reviews
 

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