Ken Burns

Ken Burns

Born: July 29, 1953
in Brooklyn, New York, USA
Ken Burns (born 1953) is a highly celebrated American documentarian who gradually amassed a considerable reputation and a devoted audience with a series of reassuringly traditional meditations on Americana. Burns' works are treasure troves of archival materials; he skillfully utilizes period music and footage, photographs, periodicals and ordinary people's correspondence, the latter often movingly read by seasoned professional actors in a deliberate attempt to get away from a "Great Man" approach to history. Like most non-fiction filmmakers, Burns wears many hats on his projects, often serving as writer, cinematographer, editor and music director in addition to producing and directing. He achieved his apotheosis with The Civil War (1990), a phenomenally popular 11-hour documentary that won two Emmys and broke all previous ratings records for public TV. The series' companion coffee table book--priced at a hefty $50--sold more than 700,000 copies. The audio version, narrated by Burns, was also a major best-seller. In the final accounting, "The Civil War" became the first documentary to gross over $100 million. Not surprisingly, it has become perennial fund-raising programming for public TV stations around the country. Burns arrived upon the scene with the Oscar-nominated Brooklyn Bridge (1981), a nostalgic chronicle of the construction of the fabled edifice. The film was more widely seen when rebroadcast on PBS the following year. Though Burns has made other nonfiction films for theatrical release, notably an acclaimed and ambiguous portrait of Depression-era Louisiana governor Huey Long (1985), PBS would prove to be his true home. He cast a probing eye on such American subjects as The Statue of Liberty (1985), The Congress (1988) (PBS), painter Thomas Hart Benton (1988) (PBS) and early radio with Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991) (PBS). Burns returned to long-form documentary with his most ambitious project to date, an 18-hour history of Baseball (1994), which aired on PBS in the fall of 1994. He approached the national pastime as a template for understanding changes in modern American society. Ironically, this was the only baseball on the air at the time, as the players and owners were embroiled in a bitter strike.

Movies for Ken Burns...

Title: In the Know
Character: Self
Released: January 25, 2024
Type: TV
Lauren Caspian is public radio's third most popular host. He's a well-meaning, hypocritical nimrod, just like you and me. He's also a stop motion puppet. Each episode follows the making of an episode of Lauren's show In the Know, in which Lauren conducts in-depth interviews with real world human guests. Lauren collaborates with a diverse crew of NPR staff. They are also puppets and nimrods.
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Title: The U.S. and the Holocaust
Character: Self
Released: September 18, 2022
Type: TV
Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and supported by its historical resources, this documentary series examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States, and race laws in the American south.
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The Unmaking of a College
Title: The Unmaking of a College
Character: Self
Released: February 11, 2022
Type: Movie
In THE UNMAKING OF A COLLEGE, students at Hampshire College confront a new president's underhanded attempt to shut down their school and discover that a powerful institution is bullying an inexperienced administration into giving up the independence of one of the most experimenting colleges in the United States. A raucous ode to democracy in action, this film evokes the courage required to stand up to power at a time when many liberal arts colleges are failing.
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Title: Muhammad Ali
Character: Self - Panelist
Released: September 19, 2021
Type: TV
Muhammad Ali brings to life the iconic heavyweight boxing champion who became an inspiration to people everywhere.
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Title: Back on the Record with Bob Costas
Character: Self
Released: July 30, 2021
Type: TV
In-depth interviews with the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and popular culture, and discussions led by Bob Costas that addresses the most topical issues in sports.
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Ken Burns: Here & There
Title: Ken Burns: Here & There
Character: Himself
Released: November 28, 2020
Type: Movie
Explore the filmmaker’s life and career in interviews with colleagues, friends and Burns himself. The importance of place emerges as a theme as he reflects on his own geographic touchstones, from the Brooklyn Bridge to small-town New Hampshire.
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Here For A Good Time
Title: Here For A Good Time
Character: Self
Released: May 1, 2020
Type: Movie
Here For A Good Time tells the story of Hampshire College, a tiny liberal arts school in Western Mass with a reputation for really knowing how to party.
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Very Ralph
Title: Very Ralph
Character: Self
Released: November 12, 2019
Type: Movie
The first documentary portrait of fashion icon Ralph Lauren, reveals the man behind the icon and the creation of one of the most successful brands in fashion history.
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Title: Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
Released: June 22, 2018
Type: TV
Join author, activist and commentator Margaret Hoover for a public affairs talk show that delivers a civil and engaging contest of ideas among the brightest minds and voices from across the ideological spectrum.
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Title: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character: Self
Released: September 8, 2015
Type: TV
Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater. Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell, and Jon Stewart are executive producers. Barry Julien and Denise Rehrig serve as co-executive producers.must watch
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Title: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Released: September 8, 2015
Type: TV
Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater. Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell, and Jon Stewart are executive producers. Barry Julien and Denise Rehrig serve as co-executive producers.must watch
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OETA's On The Record: Ken Burns
Title: OETA's On The Record: Ken Burns
Released: September 15, 2014
Type: Movie
Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns sits down with OETA's Dick Pryor to discuss his latest documentary, "The Dust Bowl,' upcoming projects, and the thrill of filming America's history.
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character: Self
Released: February 17, 2014
Type: TV
After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.
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Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself
Title: Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself
Character: Himself
Released: October 3, 2012
Type: Movie
Plimpton! tells the story of writer, editor, amateur sportsman and friend to many, George Plimpton. Using Plimpton’s own narration – along with thoughts and stories from friends, family and contemporaries – the film is a joyful celebration of a life lived fully, richly, strangely, and, at times, a life that is hard to believe was actually lived by just one man.
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Title: The Mindy Project
Character: Ken Burns
Released: September 25, 2012
Type: TV
Obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri tries to balance her personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small medical practice in New York City.
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Title: Finding Your Roots
Character: Self
Released: March 24, 2012
Type: TV
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world’s leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.
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A Hall for Heroes: The Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction of 1939
Title: A Hall for Heroes: The Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction of 1939
Released: January 24, 2010
Type: Movie
A history of the origin of National Baseball Hall of Fame and its first induction ceremony in 1939.
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Title: MLB: Baseball's Seasons
Character: Filmmaker
Released: January 7, 2009
Type: TV
Baseball's Seasons is a documentary series on MLB Network. Each episode takes a look at a season in the history of Major League Baseball. It first aired January 7, 2009 in the first week of the network's existence. Like a lot of the network's other original programming, Baseball's Seasons airs during baseball's offseason.
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Title: Craft in America
Character: Himself
Released: April 18, 2007
Type: TV
Explore the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States and its impact on our nation's rich cultural heritage. Capturing the beauty, creativity and originality of craftsmanship, the show highlights artists and explores the inter-relationship of what they do, how they do it and why they have chosen a life of creating art.
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Title: The Colbert Report
Character: Self
Released: October 17, 2005
Type: TV
The Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. It satirizes conservative personality-driven political pundit programs, particularly Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. The show focuses on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits. The Colbert Report has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards each in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, two Television Critics Association Awards Awards, and two Satellite Awards. In 2013, it won two Emmys. It has been presented as non-satirical journalism in several instances, including by the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust and by Robert Wexler following his interview on the program. The Report received considerable media coverage following its debut on October 17, 2005, for Colbert's coining of the term "truthiness", which dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster named its 2006 Word of the Year.
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Title: The Tim McCarver Show
Released: February 6, 2005
Type: TV
The Tim McCarver Show is a syndicated sports show hosted by Tim McCarver featuring interviews with athletes, coaches, managers, authors, and sportscasters, from every type of sport.
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Title: The Tony Danza Show
Character: Self
Released: September 13, 2004
Type: TV
The Tony Danza Show was a daytime variety talk show that premiered on September 13, 2004 in syndication and was distributed by Buena Vista Television.
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Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
Title: Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
Character: Self
Released: November 8, 2000
Type: Movie
This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series, examines the life works of one of Hollywood's most celebrated animators, Chuck (Charles M.) Jones. He is best known for Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe LePew. Included are plenty of behind-the-scenes descriptions of how an animated film is made, and (best of all) many clips from Chuck's cartoons.
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Title: The Daily Show
Character: Self
Released: July 22, 1996
Type: TV
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
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Title: Baseball
Character: Self - Guest
Released: September 18, 1994
Type: TV
The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game in each era. Writers, historians, players, baseball personnel, and fans review key events and the significance of the game in America's history.
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Title: Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Character: Self - Guest
Released: September 13, 1993
Type: TV
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. The second incarnation of NBC's Late Night franchise, O'Brien's debuted in 1993 after David Letterman, who hosted the first incarnation of Late Night, moved to CBS to host Late Show opposite The Tonight Show. In 2004, as part of a deal to secure a new contract, NBC announced that O'Brien would leave Late Night in 2009 to succeed Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon began hosting his version of Late Night on March 2, 2009.
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Title: The Simpsons
Character: Ken Burns (voice)
Released: December 17, 1989
Type: TV
Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.
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Title: This Week
Released: November 15, 1981
Type: TV
ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program, currently hosted by George Stephanopoulos.
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Title: CNN Special Report
Character: Self
Released: April 19, 1980
Type: TV
In hour-long, in-depth explorations, CNN hosts examine extraordinary individuals, unexpected events and controversial subjects through interviews, stories, images and videos.
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Title: 60 Minutes
Character: Self
Released: September 24, 1968
Type: TV
America's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News correspondents contribute segments ranging from hard news coverage to politics to lifestyle and pop culture.
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: Today
Character: Self
Released: January 14, 1952
Type: TV
Today is a daily American morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and is the fifth-longest running American television series. Originally a two-hour program on weekdays, it expanded to Sundays in 1987 and Saturdays in 1992. The weekday broadcast expanded to three hours in 2000, and to four hours in 2007. Today's dominance was virtually unchallenged by the other networks until the late 1980s, when it was overtaken by ABC's Good Morning America. Today retook the Nielsen ratings lead the week of December 11, 1995, and held onto that position for 852 consecutive weeks until the week of April 9, 2012, when it was beaten by Good Morning America yet again. In 2002, Today was ranked #17 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest Television Shows of All Time.