Mike Wallace
The pitiless questioner in the trench coat, who transformed television news with his relentless, take-no-prisoners interview style.
1918–2012 (age 94)·American journalist·Birthday: May 9·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Mike Wallace didn't just report the news; he prosecuted it. Starting in radio and as a game show host, he found his true calling as an interrogator. When '60 Minutes' debuted in 1968, Wallace became its sharpest blade. He approached interviews like a courtroom cross-examination, his preparation exhaustive, his demeanor calm but unsparing. He held power to account, from presidents to corporate fraudsters, with questions that were direct, often uncomfortable, and impossible to evade. His style defined investigative television journalism, making '60 Minutes' a Sunday night institution and turning its correspondents into stars. Wallace's subjects included the famous and the infamous: a defensive Anwar Sadat, a rattled Jeffrey Wigand of Big Tobacco fame, and a manipulative Vladimir Putin. While his methods were sometimes criticized as abrasive or theatrical, they were rooted in a deep belief that the public deserved answers, not platitudes. His career spanned the birth of broadcast news to the digital age, and his relentless pursuit of the 'real story' set a standard that both intimidated and inspired generations of journalists.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Mike was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
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 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2012Died at 94
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Was a founding correspondent and the primary interrogator for CBS's '60 Minutes' for 38 years, shaping its identity.
- Conducted landmark interviews with figures like Ayatollah Khomeini, Malcolm X, and Johnny Carson.
- Won 21 Emmy Awards for his reporting and interviewing work.
- His 1995 interview with tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand was central to the film 'The Insider.'
Did You Know?
Early in his career, he was a pitchman for cigarettes in television commercials.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a communications officer in the Pacific.
He briefly hosted a late-night interview program called 'Night Beat' in the 1950s, which previewed his aggressive style.
He sued General William Westmoreland for libel in a landmark 1984 case, which was settled before the jury verdict.
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