TV series
Biography
Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.
Availability
Not streaming in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Biography premiered April 6, 1987. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Synopsis
Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.
Season 5 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 7
Albert DeSalvo: The Boston Strangler
A history of the case
Where to watch BiographyEpisode 20
John Paul Jones: Captain of the High Seas
The exploits of the Continental Navy's greatest captain, John Paul Jones (1747-92), are recalled. The Scot's boast, “I have not yet begun to fight!” became an inspiration to future generations of American sailors. Included: involvement in the American Revolution; the famous 1779 battle between Jones' Bonhomme Richard and HMS Serapis.
Where to watch BiographyEpisode 23
Moses and the Ten Commandments
Trace the story of the reluctant prophet who delivered his people from 2,000 years of bondage, and explore his very human frailties and failings.
Where to watch BiographyEpisode information updated Jul 25, 2026
Available now in United States
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More about Biography
Cast
Scarlett JohanssonSelf
Aileen WuornosSelf (archive footage)
Tyria MooreSelf - Aileen's Girlfriend
Donna Jay FulksAileen Wuornos (voice)
Eva BraunSelf (archive footage)Credits
- Written by
- Lucy Chase Williams, Daniel J. Golden, Peter Jones, Scott Lenz, Paul E. Gierucki, Andy Stevenson
Production details
- Status
- Ended
- Series type
- Scripted
- Episodes
- 332
- Original language
- English
Production
- Towers ProductionsUnited States
Departure FilmsUnited States- Atlas Media
- Actuality Productions
Foxstar ProductionsUnited States
Working Dog ProductionsUnited States