Barbara Jill Walters was born on September 25, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was born to Jewish parents and her father was a Broadway producer and owner of a famous chain of nightclubs known as the Latin Quarter. Walters grew up around celebrities, up until her father lost his business ad his house. She was educated at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York where she earned her degree in English. She then became active in the media industry, being a publicist, reporter, writer, editor and finally, co-host on NBC's The Today Show. Walters then became a media person who was known for "personality journalism" and her "scoop" interviews such as that with Monica Lewinsky. It won the highest ratings of any journalist interview. She is also the first woman to co-host the ABC network news.
Walters is the co-creator, co-executive producer and co-host of
The View , a daytime talk show airing on ABC. It features three other co-hosts, Rosie O'Donnell, Joy Behar, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck. The show talks about hot topics in the news, guest experts in their fields, celebrity interviews and general entertainment. It has also been acclaimed for raising awareness on women's issues, since it is described by Walters herself as a forum for women of different generations, backgrounds and views.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)