Bill Boggs

William Boggs III, known professionally as "Bill Boggs" (born July 11, 1941) is an American television host and journalist.

Bill Boggs
Born
William Boggs III

(1941-07-11) July 11, 1941
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania
OccupationTelevision host, producer, author, professional speaker

Biography

Boggs was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA and received a Master's degree from Penn's Annenberg School for Communication. He was the celebrity correspondent for the syndicated My Generation television show airing on PBS, featuring interviews inspired by his 2007 HarperCollins book, Got What it Takes?: Successful People Reveal How They Made It to the Top. The book includes interviews with Renée Zellweger, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson, Clive Davis, Joe Torre, and others. Based on material in his book, Boggs serves as a motivational speaker for Vistage International, world's largest CEO organization.

He has also published a novel, At First Sight, with Grosset and Dunlap publishers. That novel and his one-man show about his TV career, Talk Show Confidential, were optioned by Renée Zellweger for a screenplay inspired by his life.

Boggs began his show business career in comedy, when he became the personal manager for a new comedy team named Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, who were coworkers with Boggs at the Armstrong Cork Company in Lancaster. The three men left Armstrong for show business. While helping to launch their careers Boggs also worked as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia school system and later as Assistant Dean of Men, at the University of Pennsylvania.

After working with them for three years. Boggs took his first on-camera job in KYW-TV in Philadelphia and stopped managing the team, who went on to write for Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore and other syndicated TV shows.

In 1972 Boggs left KYW for then-ABC affiliate WGHP-TV in High Point, North Carolina, where he hosted and produced his first talk show, Southern Exposure.

A former news anchorman for WNBC in New York City, Boggs also hosted the syndicated All Star Anything Goes in 1977-1978.

Boggs was a long-time personality on WNEW-TV (now WNYW) from 1975 to 1986. He succeeded Lee Leonard as host of Midday Live and later did likewise on Saturday Morning Live, replacing Gene Rayburn.[1][2]

He created the first national restaurant review show, TV Diners, for the Food Network, and spent many years hosting the network's first non-cooking show, the celebrity interview show, Bill Boggs' Corner Table. Boggs co-executive produced and hosted TV's first syndicated stand-up comedy series, Comedy Tonight in 1985-1986.

He also hosted Championship Boxing Report Update for Showtime, and Historic Traveler and Freeze Frame (an adventure photographer show) for the Travel Channel.

Boggs was also the executive producer of The Morton Downey Jr. Show and founding executive producer of Court TV (now TruTV).

Boggs appeared in several film and television dramas including Oz and Miami Vice. He appeared as himself in the movie Eyes of Laura Mars.

He debuted a solo stage show called Talk Show Confidential in 2003. The show included stories and rare video clips from his years as a television talk show host.

Boggs formed Boggs/Baker Productions Inc with Richard Baker. The company produced several music shows including artists as varied as Lou Reed (A Night with Lou Reed), Bobby Short (Bobby Short & Friends at the Cafe Carlyle) Ian Hunter, Mink DeVille and a documentary on The Stuttgart Ballet (The Miracle Lives) as well as the syndicated series Comedy Tonight.

Boggs is an officer of the Friars Club of New York and a member of the board of directors of The American Popular Song Society, and has been inducted into the Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame.

In addition to his work on television, he is a leadership coach and motivational speaker for Vistage International. He writes a restaurant column for thedailymeal.com. Boggs performs six stages presentations drawn from his career, "Talk Show Confidential," "Memories of Sinatra," "Fun at the Food Network," "A Ratpack Revival," Voices of Our Time," and "Confessions of a Talk Show Host."

Personal life

Boggs has been married four times. His first marriage was to a college classmate, and was annulled.[3] His second marriage was to Leslie Bennetts, a journalist and columnist for Vanity Fair.[4] His third marriage was to Canadian actress Linda Thorson, and produced a son, Trevor.[5] His fourth marriage, to publishing executive Carol Edmunds Campbell, ended in divorce in 2010.[6] Boggs lives with longtime girlfriend Jane Rothchild.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1978Eyes of Laura MarsHimself
1983Trading PlacesNewscaster
1989The Lemon SistersMC
1994Safe PassageNewsperson #2
1996Sudden ManhattanNewscaster
1996Night Falls on ManhattanNews #2
1997The Devil's AdvocateReporter #2
1998Species IIBill Boggs
2001Double WhammyBill Berman
2001PiñeroLennon Anchorman
2001Carman: The ChampionHimself
2016The ComedianBill Boggs

References
  1. Carol Campbell and Bill Boggs wedding notice, May 22, 2005, nytimes.com, accessed 9/9/15.
  2. "Bill Boggs' Official Biography Page". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  3. Shister, Gail (30 August 1987), "The Return Of A Native Son Bill Boggs Is A Philadelphian By Birth, Breeding And Inclination", Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  4. PageSix.com Staff (23 July 2008), "Sightings", The New York Post, New York City
  5. Boehm, Mike (3 April 2000), "Her Art Imitates Her Life Ex-Avenger Linda Thorson Revisits Trying Times in SCR Role", Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California
  6. "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Carol Campbell, Bill Boggs", The New York Times, New York City, 22 May 2005
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