TV Personalities

R. Lee Ermey

Bill Thompson

It takes a certain kind of man to be a successful u.s. Marine drill instructor. It seems to come naturally to some men.

And one of them turned it into a successful acting career.

R. Lee Ermey was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work in the 1987 film “Full Metal Jacket.”

He went on to play tough, rugged authority figures in a number of other movies — even “Toy Story.”

In 2002 the History Channel came calling, and made Ermey the star of the show “Mail Call, which quickly became the network’s most popular show.”

It was in the middle of that show’s seven-year run that I met R. Lee Ermey, when he came out with a book based on the series.

And no need to cover your ears. This interview is G-rated.

So here now, from 2005, R. Lee Ermey.

R. Lee Ermey died in 2018. He was 74.

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Terri Irwin

Bill Thompson
Photo: Eva Rinaldi

In the ’90s and early 2000s, one of the most popular TV personalities in the world was Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

He happily and enthusiastically introduced his viewers to some of the world’s most exotic, and dangerous, wildlife.

Ultimately it was a fatal encounter with a stingray that prematurely ended his life in 2006. Steve was just 44.

Photo: Richard Giles

The following year his widow Terri published a book called Steve And Me. And that’s when I met her.

So here now, from 2007, Terri Irwin,

Terri Irwin and the couple’s two children continue to operate Australia Zoo.

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Terry Bradshaw

Bill Thompson

Most people consider Terry Bradshaw, formerly of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, to be among the greatest quarterbacks ever.

His list of accomplishments, on and off the is impressive.

He’s had a long and fruitful career as a broadcaster, and he’s done some acting.

And he’s also written a couple of books. That’s how I met him, in 2002.

And no, football is not the center of his life.

So here now, come 2002, Terry Bradshaw.

Terry Bradshaw will be 73 in September.

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Julia Child

Bill Thompson
Photo: Kingkongphoto

Julia Child is probably the reason many people became professional chefs. She’s also the reason many many millions of us have attempted things in the kitchen we never thought we could do.

For many years Child was America’s most famous chef, thanks largely to her public television series The French Chef.

In 1993, as another of her TV series was premiering, Child collected culinary wisdom from some of her peers, for a book called “Cooking With Master Chefs.”

And tyjhat’s when I met her.

So here now, from 1993, Julia Child.

Julia Child died in 2004, two days before her 92nd birthday.

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Steve Allen

Bill Thompson

Long before Jimmy Fallon, way before Jay Leno, before Johnny Carson, or Jack Paar .. NBC’s Tonight Show was hosted by its co-creator Steve Allen.

In the fall of 1954, the 32 year old comedian and entertainer became the host of televisions first-ever late night talk show.

Largely thanks to Alan’s intelligent humor, The Tonight Show became a hit.

Steve Allen soon moved on to other Ventures, but was always widely popular and in-demand.

I first met him in early 1987, when he wrote a book he modestly called How To Be Funny.

So get ready for some tips from a master of his craft. Here now, my 1987 interview with Steve Allen.

Steve Allen died in 2000. He was 78.

Peter Funt

Bill Thompson

When I was a kid one of the TV shows I most look forward to every week was the Sunday night episode of “Candid Camera.”

With hidden cameras set up to catch their reactions, host Allen Funt played benign but often ingenius practical jokes on ordinary people. “Candid Camera” was a TV hit for years.

After Funt’s death in 1999 at aged 84, his son Peter Funt took over the family business, as it were, and carried on the “Candid Camera” franchise.

Allen Funt Photo: ABC Television

In 2013, he published a collection of his essays, and that’s when I had the chance to speak with him — and to get some inside scoop on “Candid Camera.”

So here now, from 2013, Peter Funt

Peter Funt is 74.

He writes a syndicated column and speaks to business organizations, often using clips from “Candid Camera” in his presentations.

Martha Stewart

Bill Thompson
Photo: Gage Skidmore

Well, in most of the U.S. warm spring weather is here. And for many of us, that’s an inspiration to get
outside work in the garden.

And it reminded me that in the late fall of 1991, I had the first of several interviews I’ve done with Martha Stewart, the well known master of all things domestic.

People often ask me, when they find out I have interviewed her if she was rude or condescending or otherwise difficult. And I always say, no, Martha Stewart was always kind and pleasant to me.

Now, one more thing you should know. This interview is all about gardening. It would be many years before Stewart’s legal troubles emerged, so that topic never even comes up here.

So here now, from 1991, Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart will be 80 this summer. She is chairwoman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Dick Vitale

Bill Thompson
Photo: Dave Hogg

You would probably be hard-pressed to find a person with more natural energy and enthusiasm than Dick Vitale — former high school, college, and NBA basketball coach turn sports broadcaster.

Indeed, it’s kind of hard to think of college basketball these days without Dick Vitale coming to mind.

And when I met him, more than 32 years ago now, he seemed as perplexed as anyone by how successful he had actually become.

So here now, from 1988, Dick Vitale:

Dick Vitale wil be 82 in June. And still going strong.

Barbara Corcoran

Bill Thompson
Photo: Jacqueline Zacco

She’s been a top New York City real estate broker for many years, but you may know Barbara Corcoran best for her role that’s one of the investors pitched by entrepreneurs each week on the TV series Shark Tank.

What you may not know is that Barbara Corcoran is one of 10 children, and that her very strong mother inspired her to become a business success.

I met Barbara Corcoran in 2003, when she wrote a book about the wisdom her mother had passed along to her.

So here now, from 2003, Barbara Corcoran:

Barbara Corcoran is 72. She is still very active as a public speakler consulant and columnist.

Joan Lunden

Bill Thompson

For nearly 20 years Joan Lunden was the co-host of ABC’s Good Morning America. Millions woke up every morning to her cheerful, reassuring, and professional presence.

As a journalist, Lunden interviewed presidents and royalyu. She covered the Olympics. She bungee-jumped.

In 1997. she left the show — and was a bit taken aback by what other people assumed she must have been feeling.

I met her just a little over a year aftrer her last brodcast on GMA. She had written a book called A Bend in the Road is Not The End of the Road.

So here now, from 1998, Joan Lunden:

Joan Lunden is 70 now. Since leaving GMA, Lundern has written eight books. And since 2014 she’s been a special correspondent for NBC’s Today Show.