• Bryant Gumbel is an American TV journalist and sportscaster, best known for co-hosting the NBC morning news and talk show “Today” for 15 years.
• He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1948, and attended the private Catholic co-educational secondary school De La Salle Institute in Chicago, Illinois.
• He joined NBC in 1975 and became the host of “Today” in 198•
• He has won more than 20 awards, including four Emmys, three National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards, and an Edward R. Murrow Award.
• As of March 2022, his net worth has been estimated at more than $25 million.



Known for movies

Short Info

Net Worth$18 million
Date Of BirthSeptember 29, 1948
SpouseHilary Quinlan, June Baranco
FactHe is of Louisiana Creole descent.


Who is Bryant Gumbel?

Bryant Charles Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana USA, on 29 September 1948 – his zodiac sign is Virgo, and he holds American nationality. He’s a TV journalist and sportscaster, who’s probably known best for the 15 years which he spent co-hosting the NBC morning news and talk show “Today”.

Early life and education

Bryant was raised in New Orleans alongside his brother Greg, and sisters Renee Gumbel-Farrahi and Rhonda Gumble-Thomas, by their father Richard Dunbar Gumbel who was a judge, and their mother Rhea Alice (nee LeCesne) who was a city clerk.

Bryant was raised Catholic, and attended the private Catholic co-educational secondary school De La Salle Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

Posted by Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on Wednesday, January 27, 2021

He was interested in a couple of activities during his four years there, as he played football for the school, and also wrote about high school sports for the school’s newspaper. Bryant was urged by his father to focus on his education, which was why he spent more time studying than playing sports.

Upon matriculating in 1966, Bryant enrolled at Bates College, from which he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Russian history in 1970.

Bryant’s early career

Bryant launched his career in 1971, when he became the editor of the monthly “Black Sports Magazine”, a job he held for around a year, when he was invited to join the network KNBC as their sportscaster in October 1972.

Bryant began attracting attention in November 1975, when he joined NBC Sports and started hosting their show “Grandstand”, which covered the National Football League (NFL). He went on to host various events for NBC between 1975 and January 1982, including NFL, college basketball and Major League Baseball (MLB) – Bryant then focused solely on hosting the show “Today”.

The show “Today”

It was revealed by NBC in June 1981 that the now-retired TV journalist and author Thomas John ‘Tom’ Brokaw would no longer be hosting “Today” after May 1982, and that they were looking for his replacement.

Many NBC News correspondents auditioned for the job, including Chris Wallace and Jessica Savitch; Bryant auditioned by chance, because he was once a last-minute fill-in for the show’s anchor Jane Pauley. Thomas retired a bit earlier than he had initially planned, on 18 December 1981, and Bryant took his place on 4 January 1982, while Chris Wallace was also hired to work for the show as the chief White House correspondent.

In the first two years of Bryant and Chris taking over the reins, the show “Today” was falling behind in views to “Good Morning America”, however, this changed after Bryant was sent to report from Moscow, Soviet Union in February 1984.

Seeing how this had boosted their views, Bryant was then sent to report from various European and Asian countries, including Vietnam, and also from several South American countries, such that by 1986 “Today” ranked higher than “Good Morning America”.

“Today” fell behind “Good Morning America” again in the first half of 1990, and only returned to first place in December 1995. Bryant finally left the show on 3 January 1997.

Career after “Today”

In 1997 and 1998, Bryant hosted the CBS show “Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel”, and his 1998 episode “The Reckoning” won him a Peabody Award; the show was still cancelled after only a single season.

Image source

Between 1 November 1999 and 17 May 2002, he hosted “The Early Show” on CBS, and was amongst the first people to announce the 9/11 attacks to viewers.

Since 1995, Bryant has been hosting the HBO’s investigative show “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”, which in 2012 won a Peabody Award.

Other credits

Bryant appeared in the 1993 episode “The Puffy Shirt” of the critically acclaimed comedy series “Seinfeld”.

He made a guest appearance in the 2005 comedy movie “The Weather Man”, which starred Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine.

Awards

Bryant has won more than 20 awards, including four Emmys, three National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Foreign Affairs work from the Overseas Press Club, and an African-American Institute Leadership Award.

Love life and wife

Bryant prefers to keep the details of his love life to himself, but it’s still widely known that he has married twice. He exchanged vows with the non-celebrity American June Baranco in 1973, in a private ceremony attended by only the closest of their friends and family members. She gave birth to their two children during the the late ‘70s, but Bryant and June have been keeping them away from the media’s attention, wanting the children to be able to lead normal lives.

The two divorced in 2001, apparently because Bryant had fallen in love with Hilary Quinlan, an American model, author and researcher. They’ve been together since they exchanged vows in 2002.

As of March 2022, Bryant’s married to his second wife Hilary Quinlan, and has two children with his first wife June Baranco.

Hobbies and interesting facts

Bryant weighed around 240lbs (110kgs) in 2002, so then put himself on a special diet, and lost 55lbs (25kgs) in the following seven months.

He’s still into travelling, and Bryant’s career has taken him all around the world, while his dream travel destination seems to be Barcelona in Spain.

Bryant’s a philanthropist, and has taken part in many fundraisers, while he occasionally donates money to charity organizations working with underprivileged children.

He likes to watch movies late at night – favorite actor and actress are Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep, while a couple of Bryant’s favorite films include “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – When Nature Calls”, “Bruce Almighty” and “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”.

Age, height and net worth

Bryant’s age is 73. He has short black hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 9ins (1.75m) and he now weighs around 155lbs (70kgs).

As of March 2022, his net worth has been estimated at more than $25 million.

General Info

Full NameBryant Gumbel
Net Worth$18 million
Date Of BirthSeptember 29, 1948
Height1.75 m
ProfessionJournalist, Screenwriter, TV Personality, Sports commentator, Actor, Newscaster
EducationBates College
NationalityAmerican

Family

SpouseHilary Quinlan, June Baranco
ChildrenJillian Beth Gumbel, Bradley Christopher Gumbel
ParentsRichard Dunbar Gumbel, Rhea Alice Gumbel
SiblingsGreg Gumbel, Renee Gumbel-Farrahi, Rhonda Gumbel-Thomas

Accomplishments

AwardsSports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Journalism, Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Long Feature, NAACP Image Award – President's Award
NominationsSports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Interview/Interviewer(s) - Segments, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Host in a Talk, Reality, News/Information or Variety Seri...
MoviesLife Below the Line: The World Poverty Crisis, An American Thanksgiving, Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World, 4. Episode 4, 3. Episode 3, 2. Episode 2

Social profile links

Facts

#Fact
1He is of Louisiana Creole descent.
2Father of Jillian Beth Gumbel (born in 1983) and father-in-law of William Russell Robins (born in 1984) who married in November 2011.
3Battling lung cancer, had surgery in November to remove a malignant tumor on his chest [December 8, 2009].
4Son Bradley Christopher (b. 1978) and daughter Jillian (b. 1984).
5Engaged to model and former Goldman Sachs analyst Hilary Quinlan (as of April 2002).
6Seen on camera muttering "What a f****** idiot" after interviewing FRC spokesman Robert Knight in 2000.
7Younger brother of Greg Gumbel.

Pictures

Movies

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Weather Man2005Bryant Gumbel
Cosby1999TV SeriesBryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel/Walt Disney World Celebrity Golf Tournament1999TV Movie
The Nanny1997TV SeriesBryant Gumbel
Contact1997Bryant Gumbel
Heaven Can Wait1978TV Sportscaster (uncredited)

Writer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel2005TV Series story 4 "Tragedy to Triumph" - 1 episode
Main Street1986TV Series documentary
Major League Baseball All-Star Pregame Show1981TV Movie

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel1995-2016TV SeriesHimself - Host / Himself - Correspondent (segment "Live Mascots") / Himself
Harry Benson: Shoot First2016DocumentaryHimself
Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss2015TV Special documentaryHimself - Host
CBS This Morning2015TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Charlie Rose2015TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Today1983-2014TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Co-Host / Himself - Guest / ...
Katie2013TV SeriesHimself
Live with Kelly and Michael2004-2012TV SeriesHimself - Guest Co-Host / Himself - Host / Himself - Guest Host
The View2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest Co-Host
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals2010TV Movie documentaryHimself
Entertainment Tonight2009TV SeriesHimself
Life on the Edge: A Global Crisis2008TV MovieHimself - Host
NFL Thursday Night Football2007TV SeriesHimself - Play by Play Announcer
Who's Who of World Giving2007TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
Life Below the Line: The World Poverty Crisis2007TV MovieHimself
An American Thanksgiving2006TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
Encore with John Palmer2006TV SeriesHimself
Wait 'Til Next Year: The Saga of the Chicago Cubs2006TV Movie documentaryHimself
ESPN 25: Who's #1?2004-2006TV Series documentaryHimself
National Health Test with Bryant Gumbel2006TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
Acts of God2005Video documentaryHimself - Host
The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...2005TV SeriesHimself
Flashpoints USA with Bryant Gumbel and Gwen Ifill2003-2004TV SeriesHimself - Co-Host
The N Word2004DocumentaryHimself
The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed2003TV MovieHimself
UFO Invasion at Rendlesham2003TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence2002TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
Survivor2000-2002TV SeriesHimself - Host
ESPN SportsCentury2000-2001TV Series documentaryHimself
Late Show with David Letterman1993-2001TV SeriesHimself
Ali-Frazier I: One Nation... Divisible2000TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Early Show2000TV SeriesHimself - Host
Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards1999TV SpecialHimself
The Rosie O'Donnell Show1997-1999TV SeriesHimself
Pablo Escobar: King of Cocaine1998TV Movie documentaryHost
28th NAACP Image Awards1997TV SpecialHimself
The 49th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1997TV SpecialHimself - Host
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1997TV SeriesHimself
The Chris Rock Show1997TV SeriesHimself
Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel1997TV SeriesHost
10th Anniversary Essence Awards1997TV SpecialHimself
Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story1996TV Movie documentaryHimself
InterNight1996TV Series
Golf: The Greatest Game1994TV Movie documentary
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World1994TV Movie documentaryHimself
Seinfeld1993TV SeriesHimself
Black to the Promised Land1992DocumentaryHimself
Late Night with David Letterman1982-1992TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Guest
Dateline NBC1992TV Series documentaryHimself - Contributing Anchor (1994-1997)
The Hard Way1991Himself
The More You Know1989TV SeriesHimself
Lou Rawls Parade of Stars1986-1989TV SeriesHimself
21st NAACP Image Awards1989TV SpecialHimself
Main Street1986TV Series documentaryHimself
NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration1986TV Special documentaryHimself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1985TV SeriesHimself
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade1984TV SpecialHimself - Host
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade1983TV SpecialHimself - Host
The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1983TV SpecialHimself - Co-Presenter: Creative Arts Awards
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade1982TV SpecialHimself - Host
Early Today1982TV SeriesHimself - Anchor
Saturday Night Live1981TV SeriesHimself
Tomorrow Coast to Coast1981TV SeriesHimself
NBC's NFL '811981TV SeriesHimself
1981 MLB All-Star Game1981TV SpecialHimself - Pregame Host
Major League Baseball All-Star Pregame Show1981TV MovieHimself
Super Bowl XV1981TV SpecialHimself - Pre-Game Host
Super Bowl XV Pre-Game Show1981TV MovieHimself
1980 AFC Championship Game1981TV MovieHimself - Sideline Reporter
Macy's 54th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade1980TV MovieHimself - Host
1980 World Series1980TV Mini-SeriesHimself - Pregame Host / Trophy Presentation
World Series Pre-game Show1980TV Mini-SeriesHimself
NBC's NFL '801980TV SeriesHimself
Games People Play1980TV SeriesHost
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story1980TV MovieHimself
1979 AFC Championship Game1980TV SpecialHimself - Sideline Reporter
91st Tournament of Roses Parade1980TV MovieHimself
Magic vs. Bird: The 1979 NCAA Championship Game1979TV MovieCommentator
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade1979TV SpecialHimself - Host
1979 MLB All-Star Game1979TV SpecialHimself - Pregame Host
Major League Baseball: An Inside Look1979TV SeriesHost
1978 AFC Championship Game1979TV SpecialHimself - Sideline Reporter
World Series Pre-game Show1978TV Mini-SeriesHimself
Super Bowl XI1977TV SpecialHimself - Sideline Reporter / Trophy Presentation
88th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade1977TV MovieHimself - NBC Host
1976 AFC Championship Game1976TV MovieHimself - Sideline Reporter

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Extra2015-2016TV SeriesHimself
The Eighties2016TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - The Today Show
Entertainment Tonight2015TV SeriesHimself
Media Buzz2015TV SeriesHimself
Inside Edition2015TV Series documentaryHimself
Above the Fray: The Lessons of Dukakis '882014Documentary shortHimself
The Battle of Amfar2013Documentary shortHimself (uncredited)
Woody Allen: A Documentary2012DocumentaryHimself (uncredited)
Queen: Days of Our Lives2011TV Movie documentaryHimself
The 2011 Comedy Awards2011TV SpecialHimself
30 for 302010TV Series documentaryHimself
NASCAR: The Ride of Their Lives2008TV Movie documentaryHimself
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story2008DocumentaryHimself - News Anchor
Journeyman2007TV SeriesHimself
Larry King Live2007TV SeriesHimself - Newscaster
September Clues2007DocumentaryHimself - CBS Anchor
Celebrity Debut2006TV MovieHimself
American Experience2005TV Series documentaryHimself
Seinfeld: Inside Look2005TV Series documentary shortHimself
Spin1995DocumentaryHimself
The Panama Deception1992DocumentaryHimself (uncredited)
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt1990DocumentaryHimself - News Reporter

Awards

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1986Humanitas PrizeHumanitas PrizeChildren's Live-Action CategoryMain Street (1986)

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2016Image AwardImage AwardsOutstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety (Series or Special)Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (1995)
2012EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2010EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2009Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Special Class SpecialLife on the Edge: A Global Crisis (2008)
2009EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2008EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2007EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2006EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2005EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
2002EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
1999EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
1998EmmySports Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sports Personality - Studio Host
1985Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Special Class ProgramMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1984)
1984Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Individual Achievement in the Coverage of Special Events - Host or HostessMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1983)
1983Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Individual Achievement in the Coverage of Special Events - PerformersMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1982)

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
Author

Benjy is currently a reporter for BiographyPedia based in Adelaide, Australia. Prior to joining BiographyPedia in July 2019, he was a Bizarre TV reporter and theatre critic at TheSun. Benjy has also written for DailyMail and TMZ. Benjy studied journalism at Goldsmiths University of London, graduating in 2009. You can contact him at [email protected].

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