Dan Rather

Overview

Born
October 31, 1931 · Wharton, Texas, USA
Birth name
Dan Irvin Rather Jr.
Height
5′ 11″ (1.80 m)

Biography

Family

Spouse
Children

Trademarks

Use of odd metaphors, or "Texanisms," when reporting the news
In the 1980s, he used to sign off each news broadcast with the word "Courage".

Trivia

In 1991, his car was broken into. Instead of having the criminal arrested, he gave him a lecture on the choices he had made in life. They later met in Kuwait. The man, who was now an Apache pilot, thanked Rather for giving him the lecture and turning his life around.
On September 11, 1987, he became so furious at the prospect of having his CBS News broadcast delayed by a U.S. Tennis match, that he walked off the set. When he did not return in time for the start of the news, CBS aired a blank screen for over five minutes. The incident was later recalled during his January 1988 interview with then-Vice President George Bush; when Rather questioned him about the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush asked Rather if he would like to have his career judged by the blank screen incident.
Was the first guest on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) on September 17, 2001 show, Letterman's first show after the September 11, 2001 tragedy. He broke out in tears twice having to describe these terrorist events.
During CBS's live coverage of the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, he saw some men with no identification or badges trying to forcibly remove what appeared to be a Georgia delegate from the building. When he attempted to interview the candidate, one of the men punched him on camera.
Appeared in disguise as an Afghan peasant for his 1980 60 Minutes (1968) on-location reports on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Although he explained that the disguise was necessary for reporting from the war zone, the media ridiculed him, calling him "Gunga Dan". The Soviet press agency Tass later reported Afghan newspaper had accused him of participating in the murder of three villagers while he was in Afghanistan, accusations that he denied and was generally regarded as ridiculous.

Quotes

"What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage. I know what you're thinking. I've gotten in trouble before for using the word. Probably deserved it. Maybe I used it inappropriately. Maybe I'm a poor person to talk about it because I have little myself. But I want to hear the word. I want to hear it praised, and the men and women who have courage elevated." - Speaking at the forty-eighth annual conference of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, September 29, 1993.
Apologizing for CBS News failing to verify questionable documents about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard: "We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism. - September 20, 2004
Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.
It is a somewhat surreal experience to see yourself being played by Robert Redford. He made me look better on screen than I ever thought I looked.
[on President Trump's tweets] They are humiliating for all of us who are Americans.