Christiane Amanpour
A fearless foreign correspondent who has brought stories from war zones and palaces to a global audience for decades.
Born 1958 (age 68)·British-Iranian news anchor and international correspondent·Birthday: January 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Christiane Amanpour's voice and presence have become synonymous with serious, on-the-ground international journalism. Born in London to an Iranian father, her global perspective was forged early. She started at CNN as an entry-level assistant, but her breakthrough came with her visceral, uncompromising coverage of the Bosnian War, where she reported the atrocities with moral clarity. From there, she became a fixture in the world's crisis points, interviewing dictators and dissidents with equal rigor. Her work expanded beyond CNN to include major documentaries and a flagship interview program on PBS. Amanpour operates on a simple principle: that journalists have a duty to report the facts without fear, a stance that has made her one of the most trusted and recognized figures in news.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Christiane was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christiane Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Christiane's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as CNN's chief international correspondent for decades, reporting from conflict zones like Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
- Created and hosts 'Amanpour & Company,' a global affairs interview program on PBS and CNN International.
- Conducted landmark interviews with world leaders including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- Received numerous honors including multiple Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, and a Courage in Journalism Award.
Did You Know?
She is fluent in English and French, and conversational in Persian.
She was the first international journalist to interview Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after the 2011 uprising.
She is a Global Advocate for UN Women, focusing on gender-based violence.
Her father was an Iranian airline executive, and she spent part of her childhood in Tehran.
“I believe in being truthful, not neutral.”
