World News – US – Chris Wallace’s father: he is the son of journalist Mike Wallace

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Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is the son of Mike Wallace, the iconic 60 Minutes reporter who died in 2012

Chris Wallace, longtime Fox News Sunday presenter, son of iconic 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace Elder Wallace died in 2012 at age 93 Mike Wallace was instrumental in launching the magazine information in 1968 and remained with the program for almost 40 years before officially retiring in 2006

As CBS Sunday Morning noted in a 2019 article, Mike Wallace has built a reputation for his tough interview style and his name could « strike fear into the hearts of brave men and women » As his father, Chris Wallace is also not afraid to ask tough questions and is known to correct clients with facts

After Chris interviewed President Donald Trump about the coronavirus in June 2020, the Washington Post compared Chris’ style to that of his late father: « Wallace wasn’t just prepared with the facts – he knew how to deploy them, with the experience and instinct to guide him on when to challenge Trump and relax He didn’t seek an explosive confrontation with Trump, in the style of his late father, famous combative 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, according to his obituary in the New York Times He was born in 1918 as « Myron Leon Wallace » and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was a student medium After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1939 he began a career as a performer He worked for radio stations in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Chicago before World War II and adopted « Mike » as his professional name

As reported by The Times, Wallace married Norma Kaphan in 1940 Their eldest son, Peter, was born in 1942 Wallace joined the Navy the following year and was deployed to the Pacific His second son, Chris, was born in 1947 Wallace and Kaphan divorced in 1948

Wallace continued to pursue his broadcasting career in earnest As NPR reported, Wallace appeared in commercials for products such as Revlon makeup, Parliament cigarettes, and Ajax cleaning powder. He landed a few acting roles on television in the late 1940s and 1950s, according to his IMDB profile He also hosted interview shows, including over 200 episodes of Mike Wallace’s interview between 1957 and 1960

Wallace acknowledged in his later years how he let his professional activities overshadow his responsibilities to his family. The report on his Sunday morning life in 2019 included a past interview with Wallace in which he admitted, « I was more interested by my work than by my family »

Chris Wallace commented in a lengthy interview for the article, « I certainly felt that growing up, not just me, family came second If there was a call from CBS News on line 1 and a call from us on line 2 he would have taken the CBS call first That’s what mattered most to him Does it hurt a little? Yeah But it was him « 

« Mike Wallace Is Here » Four words that struck terror in the hearts of shady businessmen and corrupt politicians – « Mike Wallace is here » – also include the title of a new documentary that describes life and the dramatic career of the legendary CBS News Correspondent, whose flawless interview style and indefatigable showmanship helped make the must-see TV « 60 Minutes » Rita… 2019-07-21T13: 43: 41Z

Chris Wallace’s older brother Peter Jon Wallace died in August 1962, just before his 20th birthday. He fell while on a backpacking trip in Greece, according to Yale64, a website dedicated to the class of l 1964 Yale University Peter was buried in the village of Kamari in the Peloponnese, Greece The Associated Press published a photo of the family standing above Peter’s grave; Mike and Chris stood side by side

Peter’s death had a profound impact on Mike Wallace He made the decision to get out of the advertising game and become a serious broadcast journalist He told USA Today: « I felt I owed it to Peter » because his son was interested in journalism himself

Chris Wallace also recalls that his relationship with his biological father also took a positive turn at this point Chris, who was 14 when Peter died, told CBS that Mike Wallace became a more active father after the tragic death of Peter

Members of Getty’s « 60 Minutes » TV Channel Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Popular Show November 10, 1993 Left to Right: Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney, Morley Safer, Steve Kroft, Ed Bradley, Leslie Stahl and executive producer Don Hewitt

Chris and Mike Wallace have forged a closer relationship over the years When elder Wallace died in April 2012, Chris opened up about their connection in a statement released by the Los Angeles Times:

My dad was everything you saw on TV: fascinating and funny, stimulating and infuriating He was the best journalist I have ever known And although work often comes first for him, in the 20’s past years he has worked hard to bond with his family He became my best friend And in the end he was surrounded by children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren I already miss him terribly

Chris Wallace remembers his father, Mike Wallace During the CBS News memorial service for Mike Wallace in New York City, Fox News presenter Chris Wallace remembers his legendary father Mike Wallace who died at age 93 on April 7 20122012-05-01T23: 32: 36Z

The two had to overcome professional competition At a memorial service for his father, which can be viewed in full here, Chris discussed his own ‘Mike Wallace moment’, which occurred in the fall 1997, while Chris was working for ABC News

Chris explained that he was preparing to do an in-depth interview with comedian Chris Rock Less than an hour before the scheduled shoot he learned that Rock was withdrawing from the interview in favor of 60 minutes Mike Wallace approached Rock to do a profile Chris said he called his dad and said, « You’re going to have to decide who is more important to you: Chris Wallace or Chris Rock ‘Long break I finally got says, « Mike, are you still here? » He said, I think, I think! «  » Chris said 60 Minutes kept the interview but Mike allowed Ed Bradley to do the interview instead

Chris described his father as infuriating but also endearing and that he had a good heart to begin with

But the most important person in Chris’ life wasn’t his father Just weeks before Mike Wallace’s death, Chris was honored at the National Press Foundation As the Washington Post reported to the Chris mentioned his father as a mentor at the time

But he described his stepfather, former CBS News chairman Bill Leonard, as « the most important person in my life » Chris further explained to Parade in 2014 that it was Leonard who encouraged his interest in journalism and had secured him an internship as Walter Cronkite’s assistant at the Democratic and Republican conventions in 1964

Chris Wallace, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Fox News Sunday, 60 minutes, debate