George Stephanopoulos
He moved from shaping policy in the White House to shaping political conversation for millions as a trusted television anchor.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American government official, journalist, and writer·Birthday: February 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
George Stephanopoulos began his career not in a newsroom, but in the corridors of power. A key communications strategist for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, he became one of the youngest ever White House communications directors, his bespectacled face a fixture during the administration's early, turbulent years. He left politics in 1996, a move that seemed to end his public life. Instead, he reinvented himself at ABC News, trading spin for journalism. His deep understanding of political mechanics, honed from the inside, gave his analysis a unique authority. Today, as a morning show co-anchor and the longtime host of a Sunday news program, he guides a national audience through the complexities of Washington, a bridge between the world of governing and the public it serves.
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.
George was born in 1961, 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 George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
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
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
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
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as White House Communications Director and Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy under President Bill Clinton.
- Authored the bestselling political memoir 'All Too Human,' detailing his experiences in the Clinton White House.
- Has moderated multiple presidential primary debates, including a 2016 Democratic debate with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
- Won an Emmy Award in 2012 as part of the ABC News team covering the 2011 royal wedding.
Did You Know?
He is an ordained Greek Orthodox deacon, a role he considered pursuing full-time before entering politics.
His father was a Greek Orthodox priest and his mother's family changed their surname from "Glaftelias" to "Stephanopoulos."
He taught a popular course on the American presidency at Columbia University after leaving the White House.
“The most important thing is to be true to yourself and to be honest with the people you're communicating with.”
