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Biography Specials

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43.
Tawny Kitaen
2011-07-21
A high-school dropout and self-proclaimed surfer chick from San Diego, Tawny Kitaen made her way to Hollywood in 1980 with dreams of becoming an actress. She landed her first starring role in the 1983 erotic-adventure The Perils of Gwendoline, and followed that up in 1984 with a starring role opposite Tom Hanks in the mainstream Hollywood comedy, Bachelor Party.

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42.
Steve-O
2011-06-06
Profile of the wild daredevil who became a star with the "Jackass" franchise, famously introducing himself to TV viewers when he swallowed and regurgitated a live goldfish on air. But fame came at a heavy price as Steve-O's craving for drugs, crazy stunts, and the rock star lifestyle put him on a downward spiral and led to a threatened suicide in 2008.

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41.
Russell Simmons
2011-05-23
He didn't invent rap, but Russell Simmons is, perhaps more than any other individual, responsible for the music's astonishing success. This intimate profile spotlights the founder of Def Jam Records, who helped to bring black, hip-hop culture into the American mainstream.

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40.
Rat Pack, Pt. 2
2011-05-23
Their films were box office gold. Their performances were magic. And when they went out on the town, they were legends. At a time when everything was cool and style was king, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop were the ultimate playboys. The Rat Pack goes where no other documentary has been: to the exact moment when Sinatra, the leader of the pack, met every other member, and the dynamics behind his relationship with each of them. Then, the BIO profile takes an intimate look at the carnivorous alpha-males who, on the outside, were simply the hippest guys in America, but privately struggled with love, loss, = jealousy, racism and the mob. With the help of insiders like Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis and Milton Berle, The Rat Pack explores the lives and legacies of five men who once capitvated an entire generation of Americans, and continue to fascinate an entirely new generation today.

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39.
Rat Pack, Pt. 1
2011-05-23
Their films were box office gold. Their performances were magic. And when they went out on the town, they were legends. At a time when everything was cool and style was king, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop were the ultimate playboys. The Rat Pack goes where no other documentary has been: to the exact moment when Sinatra, the leader of the pack, met every other member, and the dynamics behind his relationship with each of them. Then, the BIO profile takes an intimate look at the carnivorous alpha-males who, on the outside, were simply the hippest guys in America, but privately struggled with love, loss, = jealousy, racism and the mob. With the help of insiders like Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis and Milton Berle, The Rat Pack explores the lives and legacies of five men who once capitvated an entire generation of Americans, and continue to fascinate an entirely new generation today.

Watch Biography Specials Season 1 Episode 39 Now

38.
Aretha Franklin
2011-05-23
Aretha Franklin is arguably the greatest female singer of the 20th century, but obtaining the crown of `The Queen of Soul' did not come easy. Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee.

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37.
Tina Turner
2011-05-23
Tina Turner is undoubtedly one of greatest rock performers of all time. She has performed around the world, acted in several blockbuster films, and contributed songs to many others.

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36.
Whitney Houston
2011-05-23
Whitney Elizabeth Houston, known as The Voice, is one of the most successful pop stars of all time with some 170 million records sold. Signed by the legendary Clive Davis, she scorched the charts with such hits as "You Give Good Love," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," and "Greatest Love of All.

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35.
Kate Middleton: Uncommon Bride
2011-04-27
Although she's set to marry England's Prince William in "the wedding of the century," Kate Middleton is an unlikely choice for royal bride since a commoner hasn't married an heir to the throne for 350 years. But while she may lack royal blood, she has another advantage -- a family history of ambition and determination that has propelled the Middletons from the depths of a British coal mine to Windsor Castle.

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34.
Charlie Sheen: Bad Boy On the Edge
2011-03-29
Charlie Sheen has been partying since 1980, and according to the actor, he's tired of pretending he's not great at it. This special will track Sheen's 30 plus years of wild behavior--from using stolen credit cards to buy merchandise over the phone at age 15 to no less than five domestic violence arrests and at least a half dozen stays in rehab (three in the past twelve months) to his current status as a living media circus, gleefully self-destructing in front of America.

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33.
Mel Gibson
2011-03-27
Viewed by some as one of Tinsletown's brightest stars, and by others as a pariah. He's managed to stay on top despite public scandals and outspoken views.

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32.
Matthew McConaughey
2011-03-27
Matthew McConaughey was on the way to becoming a lawyer when he picked up the inspirational book, The Greatest Salesman in the World, and decided his real future lay in screen acting. A chance meeting with a casting director in an Austin bar secured his first real film role.

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31.
Barack Obama
2011-02-23
When he called himself "a skinny kid with a funny name" at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, his political star was already on the rise. By the time he decimated the competition in 2004 race for the Illinois Senate, he was the bona fide golden child of a Democratic party desperately in need of a winner.

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30.
Dave Chappelle
2011-02-23
This profile of the young comic traces Chappelle's story from his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio to his 2005 escape to South Africa. Find out how the young boy who once idolized the comedy of Bill Cosby became famous for racially provocative and envelope-pushing comedy.

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29.
The Wahlberg Brothers
2011-01-23
The Wahlberg brothers, Mark and Donnie, have taken Hollywood by storm, transitioning from pop music sensations to establishing themselves as successful actors in both television and film. Raised in the rough neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston, the Wahlberg brothers used a combination of street smarts and hard work to become forces to be reckoned with in the entertainment world.

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28.
Paula Abdul
2011-01-23
Paula Abdul is accustomed to the spotlight. With the phenomenal success of American Idol, there are more Paula Abdul fans than ever.

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27.
Shania Twain
2010-12-08
Shania Twain's "not just a pretty face." The singer/songwriter revolutionized country music with her drop-dead looks, sultry voice and spirited lyrics.

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26.
Rick Springfield
2010-12-08
Rick Springfield has sold fifteen million records and after nearly thirty years in show business, he still performs with the reckless abandon of a twenty-something rock star. Springfield's hit song, "Jesse's Girl" became the anthem of the 1980's-- a time when his feathered hair, tightly-suited body and boyish face became hallmarks of the era.

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25.
Jon Stewart
2010-11-03
A look at the comic whose "fake news" TV show, The Daily Show, has made him one of America's leading social and comedic voices. After a career as a stand-up, Stewart became the host of the first talk show ever produced on MTV, which became an instant hit.

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24.
Larry the Cable Guy
2010-11-03
A profile of the American stand-up comedian and actor whose full name is Daniel Lawrence Whitney. With his signature catchphrase, "Git-R-Done", Larry the Cable Guy is selling out theatres and arenas across the United States.

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23.
Shannen Doherty
2010-08-14
She began her acting career when she was just 10 years old, but Shannen Doherty is best known as "the bad girl of the 90's" starring on the hit show Beverly Hills 90210. She left the show after four years, but later reunited with long-time producer Aaron Spelling when she was cast in another hit show Charmed.

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22.
David Caruso
2010-08-14
Portrait of the actor best known for one of the most remarkable comebacks in entertainment history. In 1994, Caruso was the popular star of NBC's NYPD Blue.

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21.
Rachel Ray
2010-07-14
At 38 years old, Rachael Ray seems to have burst out of nowhere to be everywhere. But Ray struggled at first.

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20.
Lindsay Lohan
2010-07-14
Actress, singer, partier, she's barely into her twenties, and Lindsay Lohan has already gone from screen tests to rehab stints. She was acting in a soap opera by the age of ten and made her film debut in The Parent Trap a year later.

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19.
Queen Latifah
2010-05-09
Profile of the Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer, model, and actress who's been hip-hop's first lady, the face of Cover Girl, and an Oscar nominee. Born Dana Elaine Owens, she was nicknamed Latifah, which means "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic.

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18.
Patrick Dempsey
2010-05-09
Patrick Dempsey grew up in a small town in Maine and wanted to be an Olympic ski racer. After a bad crash ended his Olympic dream, Patrick took off for California to pursue an acting career.

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17.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
2010-05-09
Hollywood is obsessed with its celebrity couples. They're regular fixtures in tabloids, blogs, and entertainment news shows.

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16.
Jamie Foxx
2010-05-09
A modern renaissance man, Jamie Foxx is one of the most spectacularly versatile performers in show business today. This portrait of Foxx looks at his triumphs in comedy (he starred in the hit TV show, In Living Color), music (he earned a Grammy nomination for his album "Unpredictable"), and film (he won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Ray.

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15.
The Spice Girls
2010-04-18
Born out of a concept--a counterpoint to the 1990s "boy bands"--and a single trade industry ad, the five "Spice Girls" rocketed to the top of the pop music world. The only British group to taste "Beatles" level commercial success, The Spice Girls produced two world-wide top-selling albums and performed at sold out venues everywhere.

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14.
Boyz II Men
2010-04-18
In the mid-nineties, Boyz II Men's silky smooth voices lifted them to superstardom. Their record-breaking stints atop the music charts placed them alongside industry icons like Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

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13.
Christian Slater
2010-03-14
Slater first broke into show business at age of 7, appearing on the soap opera The Edge of Night. By the early 80s he was starring on Broadway and then traveled West to pursue a career on the big screen.

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12.
Oasis
2010-03-12
The British rock band from Manchester, Oasis has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide since their birth in 1991. At the height of their success, one album, Be Here Now, reached #1 on the UK charts, #2 on the US charts, and sold almost half a million copies on the first day alone.

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11.
Salma Hayek
2010-01-25
This talented actress first burst onto the scene in 1996 with her role opposite Antonio Banderas in Desperado. Since then, she has gone on to become an icon for Mexican-American women and a member of the Hollywood A-list.

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10.
Stevie Wonder
2010-01-25
He was born prematurely and put in a malfunctioning incubator, leaving him permanently blind. Despite his disability or maybe because of it, Stevie Wonder was a musical prodigy, who signed with Motown Records as a teenager.

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9.
Halle Berry
2010-01-25
Named after a department store, this former prom queen led a charmed life in her hometown of Cleveland. But the rest hasn't been all tiaras and roses.

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8.
The Kinks
2010-01-25
One of the most important bands in Rock history, The Kinks, led by singer/songwriter Ray Davies, were an English pop/rock group, which first hit our shores during the British Invasion in the 60s. While they may have not enjoyed the commercial success of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, their unique sound and style defined genres and transcended eras.

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7.
Ashton Kutcher
2009-11-05
Iowa native Kutcher seems like the kind of guy who's always led a charmed life, but he's had his share of heartbreaks. His fraternal twin has cerebral palsy, he lived through a stormy home life growing up, and he was busted for burglary in high school.

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6.
Hilary Swank
2009-11-05
Hilary Swank grew up in a Washington State trailer park. When her parents divorced, a teenage Hilary convinced her mother Judy to move to Los Angeles where Hilary could pursue her acting dreams.

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5.
Rob Lowe
2009-10-08
He's had a meteoric rise to fame in the '80s, co-starring with fellow Brat Packers Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore, and Charlie Sheen in a series of popular teen movies. After scandals and controversies threatened to derail his career, Lowe got back on track and officially took his career off life support when he joined the cast of The West Wing.

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4.
Mickey Rourke
2009-10-18
His was one of the ugliest celebrity flameouts in years... but after a decade of self-imposed exile, Mickey Rourke has clawed his way back into Hollywood.

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3.
Tatum O'Neal
2009-10-08
She was Hollywood?s sassiest child star?smart-mouthed, precocious and full of talent. Tatum O?Neal shot to stardom as the adorable orphan "Addie," playing opposite her famous father Ryan O?Neal in 1973?s hit "Paper Moon." At 10, she became the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award. Throughout the 70s, Tatum was Hollywood?s youngest "IT" girl, starring in two of her biggest hits, "The Bad News Bears" and "Little Darlings." And she was soon making a name for herself off-screen as well. Plagued by drugs, booze and depression, teenage Tatum took a nosedive. At 20, Tatum left her troubles behind to pursue love and motherhood with Tennis bad boy John McEnroe. But three kids and one rocky marriage later, Tatum?s hopes for happiness ended in one of the most vicious divorce and custody battles in history. Now in her 40?s, Tatum decided that it was time to go public. In 2004, she released her autobiography, A Paper Life.

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2.
Britney Spears
2009-10-08
Chronicles the startling rise and well publicized descent of the pop star's career. Still in her mid-twenties, Spears is one of the best-selling female recording artists in history, with over 70 million discs sold worldwide.

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1.
Beverly Hills 90210
2009-10-08
Television shows about high school kids have been around since the dawn of time, but by 1990, no one had ever done an hour-long drama dealing with teen issues from the teen point of view. Beverly Hills, 90210 invented the genre of the prime-time teenage soap opera.

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Biography Specials from A&E is a captivating series that dives deep into the lives of remarkable individuals who have left an indelible mark on the world. Each episode of the series is intricately crafted to explore the multifaceted stories of iconic figures across various genres—be it music, sports, politics, or pop culture. With a rich history that reflects A&E’s commitment to storytelling, Biography Specials offers a fresh blend of biographical insights, personal anecdotes, and broader cultural contexts.

The show employs a documentary-style format, featuring a combination of archival footage, photographs, and insightful interviews to create a holistic portrayal of its subjects. This visual tapestry allows viewers to experience the transformative moments in the lives of these individuals, showcasing not just their achievements, but also the challenges and passions that have shaped them. The nuanced narrative often highlights pivotal events that have defined their careers and personal lives—shedding light on the sacrifices made, the relationships that influenced them, and the lessons learned along the way.

One of the hallmarks of Biography Specials is its focus on authenticity. The series frequently includes testimonials from close friends, family members, colleagues, and biographers, providing a multi-dimensional perspective that enriches the storytelling experience. These voices add depth to the narrative, revealing intimate details that might not be found in traditional historical accounts. Viewers often feel as though they are being invited into the lives of these personalities, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of what drove them to greatness.

The range of subjects tackled in Biography Specials is both wide and compelling. Each episode often zeroes in on cultural icons whose influence spans decades, capturing the essence of their contributions to society and how they have resonated through the ages. From legendary musicians whose songs became anthems of a generation, to groundbreaking figures in civil rights who spurred societal change, Biography Specials curates a diverse array of stories that celebrate human tenacity and creativity.

Another significant aspect of the show is its attention to historical context. While each biography centers on an individual, it places their life within a larger framework, examining how various historical events, societal changes, and cultural shifts intersected with their personal journeys. This contextualization not only enhances the viewers’ understanding of the subjects but also provides them with a broader view of the era in which these figures lived and worked.

The production quality of Biography Specials is meticulously executed, featuring a combination of seamless edits, a rich sound design, and engaging visual storytelling techniques. The series uses music thoughtfully—often selecting tracks that resonate with the themes being explored or that have a direct connection to the subjects themselves. This thoughtful approach elevates the storytelling experience, allowing viewers to connect emotionally with the narratives being presented.

Moreover, Biography Specials skillfully balances the personal with the universal. While focusing on the singular journeys of its subjects, the show underscores themes of resilience, ambition, and the complexities of human nature. These universal themes allow audiences from diverse backgrounds to relate to the stories being told, making each episode accessible and impactful, regardless of the viewer's prior knowledge of the featured individual.

The show also commits to exploring less-publicized aspects of its subjects, often unveiling lesser-known facets of their personalities or careers that are not always highlighted in popular media. This commitment to thorough research lends the series a credibility that is both refreshing and engaging. By drawing from a wide pool of resources—including private archives, photographs, and personal artifacts—the series can construct a nuanced and accurate picture of its subjects that enhances viewers’ appreciation of their lives.

As Biography Specials continues to evolve, it remains firmly rooted in the tradition of biographical storytelling. It invites audiences to reflect on the lives of individuals who have become entrenched in the fabric of contemporary culture, while also encouraging a deeper understanding of the interplay between personal identity and societal influence. Through its well-rounded explorations, the show fosters not only a sense of nostalgia but also a celebration of the human spirit’s resilience and creativity.

In summary, Biography Specials from A&E serves as a tribute to the complexities of extraordinary lives, weaving together personal journeys with larger historical narratives to create a comprehensive viewing experience. Each episode stands as a testament to the transformative power of storytelling, reminding us of the shared human experience across time and culture. It captivates, educates, and inspires, making it a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the subtleties that shape iconic figures throughout history.

Biography Specials is a series categorized as a new series. Spanning 1 seasons with a total of 43 episodes, the show debuted on 2009. The series has earned a no reviews from both critics and viewers. The IMDb score stands at undefined.

How to Watch Biography Specials

How can I watch Biography Specials online? Biography Specials is available on A&E with seasons and full episodes. You can also watch Biography Specials on demand at Apple TV online.

Channel
A&E