Biography: Season 5
Biography is a documentary television series that originally began as a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace, before being acquired by A&E Networks in 1987. The television series explores the life stories of various notable historical figures, celebrities, and individuals from history. The program depicts the life of each notable person through narratio
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Biography is an American documentary television series and media franchise originally created in the 1960s by David L. Wolper.
- The series is owned by A&E Networks since 1987 and has been hosted by figures including Peter Graves and Jack Perkins.
- Each episode depicts the life story of a notable historical figure or celebrity using narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock footage.
- The program focuses on in-depth research covering individuals from the history of entertainment, sports, arts, science, politics, and warfare.
Season overview
Biography is a documentary television series that originally began as a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace, before being acquired by A&E Networks in 1987. The television series explores the life stories of various notable historical figures, celebrities, and individuals from history. The program depicts the life of each notable person through narration, on-camera interviews, photographs, and stock footage, supported by in-depth research. The A&E Network version of the series was first hosted by veteran actor Peter Graves, and later by Jack Perkins. Across its broadcast run, the documentary franchise has profiled figures in the history of entertainment, sports, arts, science, politics, and warfare, including historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain. For the specific television season corresponding to the year 1996, the documented TMDB synopsis simply indicates the year 1996, while the broader series continues its established documentary format of presenting biographical profiles of notable individuals.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Abbott and Costello
Jan 4, 1996 · 60 min
Abbott and Costello were one of America’s most beloved comedy duos, blending sharp timing with timeless humor. Bud Abbott, the straight man, and Lou Costello, the bumbling comic, r
Abraham Lincoln: Preserving the Union
Jan 11, 1996 · 60 min
Abraham Lincoln rose from a frontier log cabin to become America’s 16th president, leading the nation through the Civil War and preserving the Union. Self‑taught and driven, he bec
Adam & Eve: Lost Innocence
Jan 18, 1996 · 60 min
They were the world's first people, the first to live, the first to love, the first to yield to temptation. According to Genesis, God created Adam from the dust of the earth, then
Admiral Chester Nimitz: Thunder of the Pacific
Jan 25, 1996 · 60 min
He held the U.S. Navy together while America struggled to rebound from Pearl Harbor, and his cunning strategies eventually led the U.S. to WWII victory. When the United States was
Albert DeSalvo: The Boston Strangler
May 9, 1996 · 60 min
Albert DeSalvo was a Massachusetts criminal who became widely known as the self‑proclaimed “Boston Strangler,” a name linked to a series of brutal murders of women in the early 19
Alexander Graham Bell: Voice of Invention
May 30, 1996 · 60 min
His drive to help his deaf mother communicate led to one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. But the telephone was only one of many notable contributions he made
Albert DeSalvo: The Boston Strangler
Jun 6, 1996 · 60 min
Albert DeSalvo was a Massachusetts criminal who became widely known as the self‑proclaimed “Boston Strangler,” a name linked to a series of brutal murders of women in the early 19
Annie Oakley: Crack Shot in Petticoats
Jun 13, 1996 · 60 min
She was the world’s greatest female sharp shooter of her day. Her legend—while rife with contradictions—has been the source of endless films, books, and theatrical productions. Ins
Audie Murphy: Great American Hero
Jun 20, 1996 · 60 min
Audie Murphy was one of America’s most celebrated World War II heroes, receiving 33 military decorations. Yet despite winning immense national acclaim, he never escaped the pain an
Confucius: Words of Wisdom
Jun 27, 1996 · 60 min
In an age of intrigue and vice, he was a voice of morality and virtue. Twenty-five hundred years after his death, he is revered as one of the greatest teachers in history, even cre
Conrad Hilton: Innkeeper to the World
Jul 4, 1996 · 60 min
He began his career as an unknown entrepreneur in the tiny town of Cisco, Texas. Today, his name graces some of the world's most prestigious addresses. The son of a humble shopkeep
David and Goliath: A Biblical Battle
Jul 11, 1996 · 60 min
His unerring courage made him one of history's most beloved kings. Chosen by God to be the next ruler of Israel, David was a mere shepherd boy when he walked onto the field and sle
Edward VIII: The Traitor King
Jul 18, 1996 · 60 min
Edward VIII, born in 1894, was the charismatic yet controversial King of the United Kingdom who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, a decision t
Evita: The Woman Behind the Myth
Jul 25, 1996 · 60 min
To some, she was a hero. To others, she was a symbol of naked ambition. To the world, she remains a legend. María Eva Duarte de Perón—Evita—is one of the most controversial figures
Fidel Castro: El Comandante
Aug 1, 1996 · 60 min
He stood defiantly at the center of some of the worst crises of the Cold War. After over 40 years of rule, he remains one of the most controversial political figures of all time. J
Thomas A. Edison: Father Of Invention
Aug 5, 1996 · 44 min
Thomas Alva Edison, America’s most prolific inventor, revolutionized modern life by securing 1,093 patents and pioneering the first industrial research laboratory. This profile chr
Hatfields & McCoys: An American Feud
Aug 8, 1996 · 60 min
It lasted over a decade and claimed a dozen lives. But the feud that has been immortalized in folklore wasn't nearly as bad as many others it just got more press. The Hatfields and
Henry VIII: Scandals of a King
Aug 15, 1996 · 60 min
Everyone knows the story of the many wives of Henry VIII. But that sordid tale is but a small part of the life of a remarkable leader who led his country for almost four decades. O
Jeffrey Dahmer: The Monster Within
Aug 22, 1996 · 60 min
Jeffrey Dahmer was not a typical serial killer. He did not come from an abusive, impoverished, or violent background. On the contrary, his father was a learned chemist who taught J
John F. Kennedy Jr.: Child of a Dream
Aug 29, 1996 · 60 min
In the aftermath of his father’s assassination, he was fixed in our collective memory as the small boy bravely saluting the final act of Camelot’s brief glory. Later, he became the
John Paul Jones: Captain of the High Seas
Sep 5, 1996 · 60 min
His sense of adventure brought him to America. His bravery made him the country's greatest naval hero. The son of a Scottish gardener, John Paul Jones went to sea at age 12 with th
Marie Antoinette: The Tragic Queen
Sep 12, 1996 · 60 min
Marie Antoinette, born Archduchess of Austria, became Queen of France at just 19 after marrying Louis XVI. Initially adored for her beauty and charm, she soon became a symbol of ro
Mikhail Gorbachev: A Man Who Changed the World
Sep 19, 1996 · 60 min
His drastic reforms led to the end of his nation as the world knew it. But ultimately, he was undone by his own success. Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most compelling figures of
Moses and the Ten Commandments
Sep 26, 1996 · 90 min
He was a complex man and a reluctant prophet. But when called upon to save his people, he overcame his doubts and fears and defeated the most powerful empire on earth. Born of Hebr
Moshe Dayan: A Warrior's Story
Oct 3, 1996 · 60 min
His mastery of desert warfare transformed a tiny, beleaguered nation into a respected military power. But in a world fueled by hatred, he came to champion a different cause: Peace.
Noah and the Ark: Voyage to a New Beginning
Oct 10, 1996 · 60 min
With humanity perched on the brink of destruction, his righteousness saved the world. Every schoolchild knows the story of Noah's ark and how he brought the world's animals on boar
Richard Nixon: Man and President
Oct 17, 1996 · 60 min
His political savvy took him to the height of governmental power. Corrupt political practices caused him to suffer a humiliating fall and ultimately cost him the presidency. Richar
Saddam Hussein
Oct 24, 1996 · 60 min
Saddam Hussein rose from a harsh childhood in Tikrit to become the dominant force in Iraq’s Ba’ath Party. After joining the party in the 1950s, he took part in the failed 1959 assa
Saint Patrick: Man, Myth & Magic
Oct 31, 1996 · 60 min
Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain and became one of Ireland’s most influential religious figures. Kidnapped by Irish raiders at sixteen, he spent years enslaved as a shepherd
The Astors: High Society
Nov 7, 1996 · 60 min
The very name conjures up images of the good life black tie affairs and high society balls. Yet their long saga proves that money is no guarantee of happiness or stability. John Ja
The Fabulous World of Fabergé
Nov 14, 1996 · 60 min
In 1885, court jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé was commissioned by Czar Alexander III to create a special jeweled Easter egg for Russia’s Empress Marie Feodorovna. Fabergé’s creation—a
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Nov 21, 1996 · 60 min
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, created by Victor Hugo in 1831, tells the tragic story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Raised in isolation by t
William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama
Nov 28, 1996 · 60 min
He is the world's most influential and admired writer, a man whose imaginative genius still moves us, nearly four centuries after his death. William Shakespeare's tumultuous life p