Biography for
John Walsh (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

26 December 1945, Auburn, New York, USA

Birth Name

John Edward Walsh

Spouse

Revé Drew

(1971 - present) 4 children

Trivia

In 1996, he was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world

On July 27, 1981, his six-year-old son Adam was kidnapped from a Sears department store in Hollywood, Florida and his remains were found sixteen days later. Although devastated by their son's murder, Walsh and his wife campaigned for better provisions to help find missing children. He now serves on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an organisation that he helped found.

In July 2005, Walsh attempted to assist the family of missing teen Natalee Holloway on his show. Walsh was critical of the Aruban crime investigation and, along with television personality Phil McGraw, urged Americans to boycott Aruba.

Before his son's murder (and before hosting "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back" (1988)), he was employed as a hotel marketer.

Believes that serial killer Ottis Toole (who died in 1996) was responsible for his son Adam's murder. Although he was never convicted, in December 2008 Ottis Toole was conclusively tied to the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh.

Author of 3 books: Tears Of Rage, No Mercy and Public Enemies.

Is of Irish-American heritage.

He and his wife Reve have four children: Adam (b. 1975, d.1981), Meghan (b. 1982), Callahan (b. 1985) and Hayden (b.1995). Their youngest son, who often accompanies his father while filming "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back" (1988), is said to resemble his elder brother Adam.

Wife, Reve, filed for divorce on August 1, 2002. However, they later reconciled and the divorce proceeding was dismissed.

On December 16, 2008 - the nearly 30 year old case of Adam Walsh was finally solved. In a press conference held in Hollywood, FL, the chief of police said they determined that serial killer Ottis Toole was in fact the murderer of six year old, Adam. Mr. Walsh said at news the conference that "the waiting and not knowing has been torture." Toole died in prison of Cirrhosis in 1996 at the age of 49. He was serving five life sentences for murders unrelated to Adam's death.

Personal Quotes

Before the murder, I was so happy. We were building our dream project, a $26 million hotel. I lost everything. I couldn't work. Our house went into foreclosure. -to People magazine in 1997, explaining the aftermath of his son's 1981 murder

People don't understand the devastation the murder of a child does to someone. Eighty percent of parents of murdered children wind up in divorce. The only thing you have in common is that horrible sadness. You can't see the joy of your previous life. Reve and I fought to stay together.

"Who could take a 6-year-old and murder and decapitate him? Who?" We needed to know. We needed to know. And today we know. The not knowing has been a torture, but that journey's over." (an emotional John Walsh said at a December 16th, 2008 news conference regarding the solved 27 year old case of his son, Adam Walsh.)