Anne Robinson

Though she has caused a great deal of controversy throughout her career, former journalist-turned-game show host Anne Robinson nonetheless established herself as a formidable presence in print and on television. While known to American audiences as the Queen of Mean - a sobriquet she earned for her biting and often harsh treatment of contestants on "The Weakest Link" (NBC, 2001-02) - Robinson cut her teeth as a pioneering journalist for The Daily Mail in her native England. Not long after joining The Sunday Times, however, she suffered from a decline into alcoholism, which destroyed her marriage to editor Charlie Wilson and almost did the same to her career. But by 1980, Robinson emerged sober and renewed, becoming the first female editor at The Daily Mirror, where she developed her caustic style as a columnist writing under the nom de plume, the Wednesday Witch. Robinson soon made the jump to television by first becoming a panelist on "Question Time" (BBC, 1979- ), then as host of the long-running talk show "Points of View" (BBC, 1979- ). Robinson cemented her infamy when her U.K. hit, "The Weakest Link," crossed the Atlantic to American shores, which - thanks to her icy demeanor and oft-repeated catchphrase "You are the weakest link - goodbye!" - established her as an international star.