Ken Burns

Born: 1953-07-29

Ken Burns (born 1953) is a highly celebrated American documentarian who gradually amassed a considerable reputation and a devoted audience with a series of reassuringly traditional meditations on Americana. Burns' works are treasure troves of archival materials; he skillfully utilizes period music and footage, photographs, periodicals and ordinary people's correspondence, the latter often movingly read by seasoned professional actors in a deliberate attempt to get away from a "Great Man" approach to history. Like most non-fiction filmmakers, Burns wears many hats on his projects, often serving as writer, cinematographer, editor and music director in addition to producing and directing. He achieved his apotheosis with The Civil War (1990), a phenomenally popular 11-hour documentary that won two Emmys and broke all previous ratings records for public TV. The series' companion coffee table book--priced at a hefty $50--sold more than 700,000 copies. The audio version, narrated by Burns, was also a major best-seller. In the final accounting, "The Civil War" became the first documentary to gross over $100 million. Not surprisingly, it has become perennial fund-raising programming for public TV stations around the country. Burns arrived upon the scene with the Oscar-nominated Brooklyn Bridge (1981), a nostalgic chronicle of the construction of the fabled edifice. The film was more widely seen when rebroadcast on PBS the following year. Though Burns has made other nonfiction films for theatrical release, notably an acclaimed and ambiguous portrait of Depression-era Louisiana governor Huey Long (1985), PBS would prove to be his true home. He cast a probing eye on such American subjects as The Statue of Liberty (1985), The Congress (1988) (PBS), painter Thomas Hart Benton (1988) (PBS) and early radio with Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991) (PBS). Burns returned to long-form documentary with his most ambitious project to date, an 18-hour history of Baseball (1994), which aired on PBS in the fall of 1994. He approached the national pastime as a template for understanding changes in modern American society. Ironically, this was the only baseball on the air at the time, as the players and owners were embroiled in a bitter strike.


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Very Ralph

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Released: 2019-11-12

The first documentary portrait of fashion icon Ralph Lauren, reveals the man behind the icon and...

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Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation

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Released: 2000-11-08

This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series,...

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Ken Burns: One Nation, Many Stories

as uncredited
Released: 2024-09-04

Explore the acclaimed filmmaker's more recent work in new interviews with Burns and his...

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Ken Burns: Here & There

as Himself
Released: 2020-11-28

Explore the filmmaker’s life and career in interviews with colleagues, friends and Burns...

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The Unmaking of a College

as Self
Released: 2022-02-11

In THE UNMAKING OF A COLLEGE, students at Hampshire College confront a new president's...

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Here For A Good Time

as Self
Released: 2020-05-01

Here For A Good Time tells the story of Hampshire College, a tiny liberal arts school in Western...

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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

as Self
First aired: 2015-09-08

Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,...

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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

as uncredited
First aired: 2015-09-08

Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,...

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The Daily Show

as Self
First aired: 1996-07-22

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

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The Simpsons

as Ken Burns (voice)
First aired: 1989-12-17

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday...

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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self
First aired: 2014-02-17

After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent...

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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...

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The Colbert Report

as Self
First aired: 2005-10-17

The Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday...

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60 Minutes

as Self
First aired: 1968-09-24

America's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News...

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The Mindy Project

as Ken Burns
First aired: 2012-09-25

Obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri tries to balance her personal and professional life,...

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Late Night with Conan O'Brien

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1993-09-13

Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that...

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Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

as uncredited
First aired: 2018-06-22

Join author, activist and commentator Margaret Hoover for a public affairs talk show that...

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Finding Your Roots

as Self
First aired: 2012-03-24

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost...

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Baseball

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1994-09-18

The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and...

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CNN Special Report

as Self
First aired: 1980-04-19

In hour-long, in-depth explorations, CNN hosts examine extraordinary individuals, unexpected...

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Today

as Self
First aired: 1952-01-14

Today is a daily American morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on...

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MLB: Baseball's Seasons

as Filmmaker
First aired: 2009-01-07

Baseball's Seasons is a documentary series on MLB Network. Each episode takes a look at a season...

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Muhammad Ali

as Self - Panelist
First aired: 2021-09-19

Muhammad Ali brings to life the iconic heavyweight boxing champion who became an inspiration to...

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In the Know

as Self
First aired: 2024-01-25

Lauren Caspian is public radio's third most popular host. He's a well-meaning, hypocritical...

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This Week

as uncredited
First aired: 1981-11-15

ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program, currently hosted by George Stephanopoulos.

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The U.S. and the Holocaust

as Self
First aired: 2022-09-18

Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust”...

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Back on the Record with Bob Costas

as Self
First aired: 2021-07-30

In-depth interviews with the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and popular culture, and...

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Craft in America

as Himself
First aired: 2007-04-18

Explore the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States and...

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