Frank Rich
For over three decades, Frank Rich's sharp, theatrical pen dissected American politics and culture, holding power to account from the op-ed page to HBO.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American essayist and liberal columnist·Birthday: June 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Frank Rich didn't just write about culture and politics; he approached them with the critical eye of a dramatist. Before becoming one of the most forceful liberal voices at The New York Times, he was the paper's chief theater critic, a role that honed his sense of narrative and performance—a skill he later wielded against the actors on the national stage. His transition to op-ed columnist in the 1990s marked the beginning of a defining era in political commentary, where his weekly essays became required reading for their unsparing analysis of presidential administrations and media foibles. After leaving the Times, Rich channeled his voice into television, producing and writing for HBO series that blended documentary rigor with compelling storytelling. His career arc reflects a singular mind treating the tumult of American life as the most consequential drama of all.
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.
Frank was born in 1949, 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 Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
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
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the chief theater critic for The New York Times from 1980 to 1993, shaping Broadway discourse.
- Authored a widely read and influential op-ed column for The New York Times for nearly two decades.
- Was a founding producer and writer for HBO's political drama series 'Veep'.
- Co-wrote and produced multiple HBO documentaries, including 'The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee'.
Did You Know?
His first job in journalism was as a film critic for the Richmond Mercury in Virginia.
He wrote a column for New York Magazine titled 'The End of the World as We Know It'.
Rich is a graduate of Harvard University.
“The theater is a venue for the consideration of ideas, and the newspaper is a venue for the consideration of ideas. They're not that different.”
