Biography for
Ted Koppel More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

8 February 1940, Lancashire, England, UK

Birth Name

Edward James Koppel

Nickname

Teddy
Red Top

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Spouse

Grace Anne Dorney

(17 May 1963 - present) 4 children

Trivia

His wife gave him a motorcycle for his 60th birthday.

Has 3 daughters and 1 son: Deirdre, Andrew, Tara and Andrea Koppel, also a TV newsperson, who covers the State Dept for CNN.

Winner of 25 Emmy Awards, five George Foster Peabody Awards, eight duPont-Columbia Awards, nine Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards, and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Named Broadcaster of the Year in 1987

Member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame

He has received honorary degrees from Syracuse University, Colgate University, The University of South Carolina, American University, New England School of Law, Fairfield University, Middlebury College, Georgetown School of Law, Dartmouth College, Knox College, Howard University, Duke University, Saint Louis University, University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, Johns Hopkins University and Catholic University.

From 1971 to 1980, was ABC News' Chief Diplomatic Correspondent

Anchored The ABC Saturday Night News from 1975-7

Cowrote book: In the National Interest

Moved to the US when he was 13

Has BS degree from Syracuse University and an MA in mass communications research and political science from Stanford University

Became a U. S. citizen in 1963

Favorite author is Patrick O'Brian

Favorite holiday is Thanksgiving

Most prized possession is his family Torah

Enjoys sailing

His parents were Jews living in Germany in the 1930s. They emigrated to England to escape from the Nazis.

He speaks fluent German, Russian and French.

Is left-handed.

Wife Grace is an attorney, who worked full-time while Koppel held fast to his agreement to stay at home as a full-time dad early in their careers.

His father Edwin owned tire factory, mother Alice was a singer and pianist.

Personal Quotes

When asked if he is narcissistic: "No, I'm too ugly to be narcissistic." The Wall Street Journal describes him as "the pre-eminent TV interviewer in America", while The Los Angeles Times refers to him as "the undisputed reigning lion of tough TV interview journalism."

(Reflecting on ABC's almost succeeding in taking 'Nightline' off the air in 2002:) "There's nothing more invigorating in life than getting shot at and missed" (tho he misquoted Churchill who used the final phrase "shot at without result").

"I think we're glazing eyes all across America." [Interrupting a long-winded guest, Nightline, 13 Feb 1987]

"I have the necessary lack of tact." [On interviewing guests on Nightline, 1984]

"Peter [Jennings] was famously attracted to women. Even so, he only married four of them."

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