Mike Wallace

Highest Rated: 89% A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Lowest Rated: 50% Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1997)

Birthday: May 9, 1918

Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, USA

One of the most respected - and feared - names in television journalism, Mike Wallace was an investigative reporter who subjected some of the most prominent names in politics and world news to his particular brand of intense and abrasive interviews. A radio announcer and occasional actor, Wallace began to hone his unique style on television in the late 1950s, quickly making a name for himself as a powerful and uncompromising interviewer whose questions frequently left his guests frazzled and dismayed - a condition later termed "Mike fright." His greatest showcase was the primetime CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" (1968- ), where he regularly grilled news figures ranging from presidents and captains of industry to celebrities and accused criminals. His reporting earned him numerous awards, as well as a few legal battles, most notably against General William Westmoreland, who sued him for libel in 1985. Wallace retired from weekly appearances on "60 Minutes" in 2006, but continued his connection to CBS News as a "Correspondent Emeritus" before passing away at age 93 on April 7, 2012.