Bill O'Reilly

Photo of Bill O'Reilly

Biography

A self-described "cocky bastard," O'Reilly earned both scorn and praise in his quest to bring a populist, Everyman persona to the elite world of Washington politics. His blunt and provocative style of questioning made O'Reilly one of the most reviled and feared anchors on television. Claiming to represent blue-collar, working class Americans, he made a career out of asking sharp, aggressive questions, cutting off guests, and making people in …
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Job Title

Actor, Producer, Writer

Born

September 10, 1949

Career Milestones

2002

Joined the airwaves with a syndicated talk show "Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly"

1996

Hired by The FOX News Channel (FNC) as the anchor/host of "The O'Reilly Factor", originally called "The O'Reilly Report"; in 2001 the show passed "Larry King Live" to become the most watched cable news program in the United States

1989

Joined the nationally syndicated program "Inside Edition" taking over for David Frost; was the first national anchor to broadcast live from the scene of the 1992 L.A riots, and was named reporter of the year by the New York Crime Victims organization

1986

Joined ABC News as a correspondent on "World News Tonight"; received two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting

1980

Joined WCBS in New York City, where he won his second Emmy for an investigation of corrupt city marshals; later O'Reilly became a CBS News correspondent covering the wars in the Falkland Islands and El Salvador

1975

Stared his career with a $150-a-week reporting job at WNEP-TV in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania